Animation Guild | We are 839 Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1120864
SUMMER 2019 19 A F T E R H O U R S anyone to go online to KEPYR.org and make a donation. Moran emphasizes that one hundred percent of the money donated to KEPYR goes directly to UNICEF USA. Nothing is deducted for operating costs, as KEPYR is an entirely volunteer-based organization. "These children have seen and experienced things that no child should ever have to see and UNICEF provides them a safe place to land," he says. UNICEF not only provides medical care, trauma counselling, food and shelter, but also a space in which they can become children again, where they can play. The response to KEPYR has been universally positive. Moran says that once he explains the organization's goals, the reaction is, "Count me in." KEPYR has evolved over the past couple of years to a group of about a dozen people who do the work every year, assisting with graphics, social media campaigns and outreach. Moran stresses that while he may have initiated the group, his role is as a facilitator. KEPYR's big focus every year is the upcoming Kindred Spirits fundraising event that kicks off June 14th and spans two weeks surrounding World Refugee Day. During this online fundraising event they reach out to people to create awareness of the global child refugee crisis and to invite colleagues and friends to join in their support of UNICEF's vital work. KEPYR's graphics committee provides messaging to actively help spread the word on social media. This year they've set an ambitious goal of raising $35,000. If they meet that number, Moran says, they will have raised over $100,000 in the three years they've been in existence. KEPYR has received matching grants from both inside and outside the industry and they encourage other studios to match employee contributions. The organization also has broader ambitions—Moran says they dream of traveling to refugee camps and, for example, giving courses in animation. With the diverse skill sets of members of their group, there are many educational possibilities. But to expand their efforts they will need more people to help. Guild members who are interested in becoming actively involved with KEPYR can contact Moran directly at Grant@KEPYR.org JOHNNY HARTMANN writes for Power Rangers Beast Morphers and has an episode of Netflix's animated series Legend Quest that should drop in the near future. "As a writer working in kids' entertainment, you always try to slip some kid empowerment into your stories. Not to diminish what we do, or the impact a good story can have on a child's life, but here are millions of children who get bullied by the world. They need more than a feel good message—they need food, water, shelter, and safety. Children are the future; we give up on them, we give up on our species. It's that simple." KEVIN HOPPS is a freelance writer. His most recent work has been on shows such as Warner Bros.' Young Justice, Nickelodeon's Shimmer and Shine, and Disney's The Lion Guard. "When I heard about KEPYR, about their work with UNICEF to help young refugees, getting involved with them, doing something positive for people, felt like the perfect way to counteract all the hateful rhetoric in the news...All of us in The Animation Guild make our living thanks to all the children who watch animation, so it's important to give back when we can. And giving to KEPYR is a great way to do just that." BRYAN EVANS has most recently been working on Cosmos: Possible Worlds as well as a book that will be released this summer. He had worked with Grant Moran at Warner Bros. Animation and found his passion for the KEPYR project inspiring and infectious. "In a media landscape with so many crisis points, this one is particularly poignant for the animation community where I spend a great deal of my professional life. The animation industry exists for the kid in all of us, and it is important for me to acknowledge my luck and privilege and take action to help." TAG MEMBERS SHARE WHY THEY GOT INVOLVED!