By Becka Dooley
It was the story that defined a generation: J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter.” Now, the best-selling series is uniting fans across the nation in a social club called the Harry Potter Alliance.
Fitchburg State University has its own chapter on campus, called Amortentia, which meets every other Monday at 3:30 p.m. in Conlon 212.
Patience Morrow, an avid fan of the series, decided the Fitchburg community needed a little magic and started the campus chapter.
But don’t let the Harry Potter affiliation fool you – Amortentia has plans that cover more than being fans of the series.
“The HPA is designed to encourage its members to be involved in community service,” Dr. Kisha Tracy, the club’s advisor, says. “It’s a worthy cause, and one the organizer and officers are particularly dedicated to. We can always use more people interested in making the world better. It is admirable how the club’s members want to take their love of the books and make positive real-world applications.”
In keeping with its stated mission of “using the large Harry Potter fan base to create a better world for everyone,” the group made plans to host two local charity events.
“We are doing the ‘Hunger is Not a Game’ campaign,” a bake sale to raise money to feed the hungry,” says Amortentia member Haley McHatton. “[We] are also trying to get in contact with an orphanage and are going to do ‘Accio Shoes’ and have people donate new or gently used shoes to orphans.”
Not coincidentally, those benefitting from Amortentia’s efforts are those in similar situations to Harry himself. The Harry Potter Alliance is spreading some magic to those less fortunate, an act that members say he would surely be proud of.
Want to find out more about the Harry Potter Alliance and how it’s bringing magic to the less fortunate? You can visit their website, http://thehpalliance.org/.