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The Multiverse FunRaiser story is a simple one – we’re nerds who care.
Multiverse FunRaiser Origins
The MultiVerse FunRaiser evolved from a previous online convention that was held during the 2020 pandemic. Founder Kelly was sad that she wouldn’t be able to attend the annual Superman Celebration in Metropolis, Illinois.
In a stroke of genius (or madness, depending on how you look at it), she decided to hold a virtual event for that convention’s regular attendees that June, and anyone else who wanted to join.
Also missing all of the cosplay charity work she had been doing before the pandemic, she began adding charitable aspects into the virtual convention.
The attendees enjoyed themselves so much, that she did another virtual convention that January too. They called it the Virtual Superfriend Celebration, or Virtual Superfriend Convention. As time went on, the event came to encompass more and more interests than just the Superman and DC fandom, so Kelly teamed up with her podcast team, The Cereal Box Network, and brought in more volunteers.
Realizing that they were only gaining steam, and noticing that they had grown the audience so much further than the regular attendees of just one convention, they launched the new organization: The MultiVerse FunRaiser.
The Name
While the first few conventions these three worked on were very Superman and DC Comics-oriented, they knew that they were leaving a lot of geeky and pop culture ground uncovered.
So, to emphasize the fact that all areas of geek culture, and all “universes” even, are welcome at our event, we chose a name with “multiverse” in it. Then, we chose “FunRaiser” to show that we aren’t just raising money, we’re raising fun. This is a weekend-long event, for a good cause, but having fun along the way.
Awards for the Multiverse FunRaiser
Of course, having a fun event and raising funds and awareness for great causes are their own rewards.
But our chairwoman, Kelly, was also recently the recipient of the CB4K Award for exceptional fundraising.
Comicbooks For Kids recognized Kelly in appreciation of her “incredible support of children in hospitals and cancer centers across the country” in 2024.
The Board
Kelly Guentner – Founder, Executive Chairwoman, Program Director
Kelly is an author, podcaster, cosplayer, and an amazing event organizer. She has been specifically involved in cosplay-related charities such as Costumers with a Cause for years. She lives in Wisconsin with her husband, two children, and two bunny rabbits.
Crayle McDonald – Co-Chair, Fundraising Director, Digital Manager
Crayle is a podcaster, fiction editor, cosplayer, marketer, and owner of Pokeballs by Crayle. She worked for a few different non-profits for several years before leaving for the private sector, but never lost her drive to stay involved in charitable endeavors. She lives in Indiana with her dog and husband.
Andrea Starnes – Board Member At Large
https://www.instagram.com/mehdia_raiise/Andrea Starnes has been cosplaying for roughly 20 years, but has been a fan of most things geeky her whole life. She dedicates her free time to making costumes from many fandoms, as well as original designs. Many of the costumes are used to be a cosplay volunteer for various charity events, bringing joy to kids and the young at heart. She hopes to be able to share her decades’ worth of knowledge with the next generation of cosplayers.
Hollis Thompson – Board Member At Large
Hollis Thompson is the artistic director of the Biblical Drama Institute in the Texarkana area and an English faculty member at the University of Arkansas Hope and Texarkana, where he teaches composition and literature. His main interests include Biblical literature, medieval literature, and superheroes.
Hollis’ writing has been published in scholarly journals and he is also an award-winning playwright.
He is currently working on an academic book about the intersection of Biblical studies and superhero culture.
Volunteers
The MultiVerse FunRaiser has an amazing group of volunteers! Below are most of our return volunteers, though many more people have had a hand in organizing alongside us.
Ryan Permison
Ryan Permison is the host and producer of And I Quote, a live weekly show where he interviews content creators of all kinds. It is part of his YouTube channel Nerd Culture. Ryan discusses different Pop Culture topics in other video’s. He enjoys collaborating with other creators and appearing on other shows.
Find all of Ryan’s shows here.
George Buehler
George Buehler is a proud, life-long geek! Starting at the age of 3, he discovered his love for comic books with Avengers #163 and thus a collection that spans 43 years, began! Aside from comics, George has a passion for music, movies, video games and pro wrestling. George spent almost 20 years in television broadcasting, both behind the camera and in front. For the past 5 years, George has hosted various podcast shows, but Fanatic Forum is his first solo venture.
David McDonald
David has been working behind the scenes, providing tech support, moral support, and administrative help since the beginning, but only just began communicating on behalf of the MVFR in 2024. He was dragged into all of this by board member Crayle, his wife. But he gets a great sense of accomplishment from helping the charities we support.
Clyde Hall
I’m Clyde Hall, life-long comic book fan and Elder Statesman of Geekery with interests
including comic books, vintage toys, horror movies, role-playing games, pulp fiction, and cryptozoology. I’m a comic book reviewer for online sites Comics Beat & Comic Book Spectrum, and a contributing fiction writer at Stormgate Press. Recipient of the 2023 Pulp Factory Award for Best Short Story.
Willow Skylor
This self proclaimed Social media Socialite is a huge pop culture nerd, who enjoys a plethora of hobbies. From cosplaying to collecting and restoring classic Mopar vehicles with her husband. She has been broadcasting online since 2006, her long time dream has been to break into the broadcasting industry.
Much of her broadcast work can be found at Skylor Productions.
John B. Pyka
John B. Pyka, a.k.a. the “Prophet of Pop Culture” is an established performer, podcaster, magician, and all around entertainment dynamo. Johnny has been a key member of the MVFR team for years. He even provided our streaming platform, introduced us to the Comic Books 4 Kids charity, and continues to be a staple in the MVFR programming. Check out the podcast that started the collab for us, Back of the Cereal Box.
The Multiverse FunRaiser is sponsored and staffed by Phoenix Sisters Entertainment.
