St. Pius X Craft Fair

We will be participating in the craft fair at St. Pius X School this Saturday, December 10. St. Pius X School is located at:

204 Lawrence Road
Broomall, PA 19008

The craft fair is 10am-2pm. We will be selling pillows, scarves, decorations, and dog treats. Hope to see you there! Santa will be there. :)

December Meeting Notes

Our December meeting was this morning, and here are the notes:

Not in Harry's Name - This campaign may be familiar to some of you. The HPA ran this campaign around this time last year, and it has recently been re-launched. The goal of this campaign is to get Warner Brothers to switch to Fair Trade chocolate for their Harry Potter Chocolate Frogs, or at least show us they are making a significant effort to do so. We have given WB a deadline of 12/31/2011. There are three facets to this campaign.

• Muggle Howlers - In the Harry Potter series, a Howler is a letter that shouts at the recipient, usually because that person has done something wrong. HPA members are encouraged to make Muggle Howlers, YouTube videos asking WB to switch to Fair Trade. While we associate Howlers with shouting, that is not what we are going for here. Be firm, but please be polite.



• Cease & Desist Letters - When someone has a legal right to a copyrighted work, they will often send cease and desist letters to anyone they feel is using that work without the appropriate permission. There have been many cease and desist letters throughout the history of the Harry Potter fandom. WB sent them to fansites, fan artists, and wizard rock bands before deciding those fans were safe to carry on. Now it is our turn to send cease and desist letters to WB. While WB may own the legal right to Harry's name, we own Harry's spirit. We are the ones who have built friendships and a community based on our love of the Harry Potter series. There are two options for HPA members wanting to send a cease and desist letter to WB. You can print out a form letter and send it, or you can write your own. You can find the templates on the campaign website.



• Fair Trade Chocolate Frogs - The HPA set out to see if it is feasible to make Fair Trade Chocolate Frogs. It is. You may purchase the HPA's Fair Trade Chocolate Frogs here, http://bit.ly/hpashop. (Available for a limited time only!)

For more information on everything related to the Not in Harry's Name campaign, please visit the campaign website, http://www.thehpalliance.org/action/campaigns/nihn/.

Mini Yule Ball - We will be having a Mini Yule Ball on Sunday, December 18. It is really just a Chapter Christmas Party, but Mini Yule Ball sounds more fun. ;)

Next Meeting - Our next meeting will be Saturday, January 14.

Dumbledore's Army of Delaware County is a community chapter of the Harry Potter Alliance. New members are always welcome! To learn more or to get involved, please e-mail danielleg@thehpalliance.org. To learn more about the HPA in general, please visit http://www.thehpalliance.org.

December Meeting Reminder

Our December meeting is coming up this Saturday, December 3rd. The majority of the meeting will be devoted to the campaign that the Harry Potter Alliance recently re-launched, Not in Harry's Name. Hope to see you there!

Dumbledore's Army of Delaware County is a community chapter of the Harry Potter Alliance. New members are always welcome! Please e-mail danielleg@thehpalliance.org to learn more or to get involved.

November Meeting Notes

Our November meeting was this morning, and here are the notes:

Holiday Mail for Heroes - This is a project organized by the Red Cross. This is the third year that our chapter is participating, and we are happy to do so! If you are interested in participating in this on your own, here is the information: http://www.redcross.org/holidaymail.

Mini Yule Ball - We will be having a Mini Yule Ball (aka Chapter Christmas Party) on Sunday December 18th.

December Meeting - Our December meeting will be Saturday December 3rd.

Dumbledore's Army of Delaware County is a chapter of the Harry Potter Alliance. New members are always welcome! To learn more or to get involved, please e-mail danielleg@thehpalliance.org. To learn more about the HPA in general, please visit http://www.thehpalliance.org.

Craft Fair!

We will be participating in the craft fair at Marple Christian Church this Saturday, October 15th! Marple Christian Church is located at:

475 Lawrence Road
Broomall, PA 19008

The craft fair is from 9am-4pm. We will be selling pillows, scarves, decorations, and dog cookies. Hope to you then!

October Meeting Notes

Our October meeting was yesterday, and here is the summary:

Halloween Cards - The bulk of this meeting was spent making Halloween cards for the residents of Fair Acres Nursing Home!

Craft Fair - We will be participating in the Craft Fair at Marple Christian Church on Saturday October 15th. We will be selling pillows, scarves, decorations, and dog cookies.

Knitting Projects - We have been working on this for several months, and we are almost finished. We are knitting snuggles for the Snuggles Project (http://www.snugglesproject.org) as well as afghan squares for Warm Up America (http://www.warmupamerica.org). The deadline we have set for ourselves is October 31st.

November Meeting - Our November meeting will be Saturday November 5th.

Dumbledore's Army of Delaware County is a community chapter of the Harry Potter Alliance. New members are always welcome! To learn more or to get involved, please e-mail danielleg@thehpalliance.org. To learn more about the HPA in general, please visit http://www.thehpalliance.org. You can also follow us on Twitter, http://www.twitter.com/DAofDelco.

October Meeting Reminder

Our October meeting is coming up this Saturday, October 1st. We will be making Halloween cards for the residents of Fair Acres Nursing Home as well as chatting about some upcoming projects!

Dumbledore's Army of Delaware County is a community chapter of the Harry Potter Alliance. New members are always welcome! To learn more or to get involved, please e-mail danielleg@thehpalliance.org. To learn more about the HPA in general, please visit http://www.thehpalliance.org.

September Meeting Notes

Our September meeting was this past Saturday, and here is the recap:

ConKerr Cancer - The majority of this meeting was spent sewing pillowcases for ConKerr Cancer (http://www.cankerrcancer.org)!

Craft Fair - We will be participating in the craft fair at Marple Christian Church on Saturday October 15th, 9am - 4pm. We will be selling pillows, scarves, decorations, and dog treats.

Knitting Projects - We've been working on these for a while now, and we have set a deadline for ourselves of October 31st. We are knitting snuggles for the Snuggles Project (http://www.snugglesproject.org) as well as afghan squares for Warm Up America (http://www.warmupamerica.org).

October Meeting - Our October meeting will be Saturday October 1st. We will be making Halloween cards for the residents of Fair Acres Nursing Home.

Dumbledore's Army of Delaware County is a community chapter of the Harry Potter Alliance. New members are always welcome! To learn more or to get involved, please e-mail danielleg@thehpalliance. To learn more about the HPA in general, please visit http://www.thehpalliance.org. You can also follow up on Twitter, http://www.twitter.com/DAofDelco.

September Meeting Reminder

Our September meeting is this Saturday September 10th. We will be sewing pillowcases for ConKerr Cancer (http://www.conkerrcancer.org) as well as chatting about a few upcoming projects.

Dumbledore's Army of Delaware County is a community chapter of the Harry Potter Alliance. New members are always welcome! Please e-mail danielleg@thehpalliance.org for more info.

August Meeting Notes

Our August meeting was this morning, and here is a summary of what we discussed:

Deathly Hallows Campaign - The DHC is over! Join the HPA for a wrap-up livestream celebration on Tuesday at 8:30pm. http://www.livestream.com/imaginebetter

Knitting Projects - We are knitting snuggles for the Snuggles Project (http://www.snugglesproject.org) and afghan squares for Warm Up America (http://www.warmupamerica.org). We have set a deadline of October 31st.

Craft Fair - We will be participating in Marple Christian Church's craft fair again this year. This year's craft fair is on October 15th, 9am - 4pm. We will be selling scarves, pillows, decorations, and dog cookies.

ConKerr Cancer - At our last meeting, we had discussed that we would like to do something for children. We have decided to make pillowcases for ConKerr Cancer (http://www.conkerrcancer.org), an organization that makes pillowcases for children with cancer. We will be making pillowcases at our September meeting.

Next Meeting - Our next meeting will be Saturday, September 10th.

Dumbledore's Army of Delaware County is a chapter of the Harry Potter Alliance. New members are always welcome! For more information or to get involved, please e-mail danielleg@thehpalliance.org. For more information on the HPA in general, please visit http://www.thehpalliance.org. You can also follow our chapter on Twitter, http://twitter.com/DAofDelco.

August Meeting Reminder

Our August meeting is this Saturday, August 20th. We will be discussing our current projects as well as looking ahead to the fall. New members are always welcome! Please e-mail danielleg@thehpalliance.org for info.

Not sure what the Harry Potter Alliance is? http://www.thehpalliance.org

July Meeting Notes

Our July meeting was this morning, and here is what was discussed:

Climate Crisis Horcrux - The main "ask" of the Climate Crisis Horcrux was that HPA members submit ideas and art to the Imagine Better Contest. Voting in the contests is now open and will run until the 31st. You can check out the submissions and vote here, http://bit.ly/splashlifehpa. (If you would be so kind as to vote for my artwork, I would really appreciate it! http://dft.ba/-FVe)

Knitting Projects - Our knitting projects are still coming along! We are knitting snuggles for the Snuggles Project (www.snugglesproject.org) as well as afghan squares for Warm Up America (www.warmupamerica.org).

Craft Fair - We will be participating in Marple Christian Church's annual craft fair again this year! The craft fair is on Saturday October 15th, 9am - 4pm.

Next Meeting - Our next meeting will be Saturday August 20th.

Dumbledore's Army of Delaware County is a community chapter of the Harry Potter Alliance. New members are always welcome! To learn more or to get involved, please e-mail danielleg@thehpalliance.org. For more information on the HPA in general, please visit http://www.thehpalliance.org. You can also follow our chapter on Twitter, http://www.twitter.com/DAofDelco.

July Meeting Reminder

Our July meeting is coming up this Saturday, July 23rd!

Have you submitted an idea or art to the Imagine Better Contest? You still have time! The deadline has been extended to tomorrow (Friday) night. http://bit.ly/splashlifehpa

Dumbledore's Army of Delaware County is a community chapter of the Harry Potter Alliance. New members are always welcome! To learn more or to get involved, please e-mail danielleg@thehpalliance.org. To learn more about the HPA in general, please visit http://www.thehpalliance.org.

The Countdown Weeks 6 and 7

We are almost finished our countdown!

On Sunday July 3rd, we watched Half-Blood Prince as well as worked on our submissions for the Climate Crisis Contest.

On Friday July 8th, we will watching Deathly Hallows Part 1 as well as working on our knitting projects.

The Countdown Weeks 5 & 6

On Sunday June 26th, we watched Order of the Phoenix as well as worked on our knitting projects for the Snuggles Project (www.snugglesproject.org) and Warm Up America (www.warmupamerica.org).

On Sunday July 3rd, we will be watching Half-Blood Prince as well as working on our submissions for the Climate Crisis contests!

The Climate Crisis Horcrux

The Deathly Hallows Campaign has been a long journey, but we're finally here. We have made it to the seventh Horcrux! The seventh Horcrux is the Climate Crisis Horcrux. The Climate Crisis is a hefty opponent to battle. It is strong enough to kill millions and millions of people; what can we possibly do to fight it? A lot. To make this battle more manageable, the Climate Crisis Horcrux has been divided into seven major themes.

1. Brooms and Floo Powder - This theme is about transportation and energy. In the wizarding world, the main forms of transportation are brooms and floo powder. These are very green ways to travel as they do not require energy. Things are very different in our world, at least I've never traveled by broom or floo powder. Many of us drive wherever we need to go. Sometimes driving is necessary, but sometimes it is not. Perhaps we could cut down on energy consumption by walking, riding a bike, carpooling, or using public transportation.

2. Forbidden Forests and Care of Magical Creatures - This one is about deforestation and agriculture. When done responsibly, farming can really benefit our world. However, there are also agricultural practices that have a negative impact and harm our environment. You can help with this theme by learning your carbon footprint. You can find out your carbon footprint by taking this quiz, http://www.carbonfootprint.com/carbonfootprint.html. Maybe there are aspects of your carbon footprint that could use a little work. For example, you could eat more locally grown foods or eat less processed foods.

3. Advocating for So-Called Muggleborns - This one deals with communities affected by the Climate Crisis. Because these communities are often indigenous or impoverished, they are often looked down upon, similar to how Muggleborns were often looked down upon in the wizarding world. However, these communities have many capabilities and are necessary in fighting the Climate Crisis.

4. The Chamber of Secrets Has Been Opened - Many of us have heard of the Chamber of Commerce. However, a lot of us don't know what the Chamber of Commerce is or does. It turns out the Chamber of Commerce is very similar to Lucius Malfoy. Because he was wealthy and influential, Lucius had a lot of pull with the Ministry of Magic. The Chamber of Commerce, on a national level, is one of the largest lobbying groups fighting recognition and acceptance of the Climate Crisis.

5. The Quibbler and Potterwatch - This theme is about media misinformation. While the Daily Prophet refused to report that Voldemort had returned, the media often refuses to report that the Climate Crisis is a problem. They make it seem like scientists are undecided on the issue when, in fact, as many as 97% of scientists agree that we need to be paying attention to the Climate Crisis.

6. A Better Burrow - This one deals with community, household, and neighborhood programs. There are many things that we can do in our homes, schools, and communities to help the environment. We can recycle. We can do less laundry. We can reduce our electricty use. We can even reduce the amount of trash that we make.

7. Phoenix Rising - The final theme is about celebrating the Earth and each other in creative/spiritual ways. Hogwarts students loved to enjoy nice weather by the lake. Similarly, we can get outside and enjoy nature. Another great way to participate in this theme is by submitting something to the art contest.

As part of this Horcrux, the HPA is teaming up with Splashlife (http://bit.ly/splashlife) to host two contests. For the first contest, HPA members are invited to generate ideas on how to battle the Climate Crisis. To help you focus your ideas for this one, check out Splashlife's website - http://bit.ly/splashlife. The second contest is an art contest. It can be visual, music, video, or anything else you can imagine.

To learn more about this Horcrux, check out the website - http://bit.ly/horcrux7.

The Countdown Weeks 4 & 5

Week 4 of our movie countdown was this past Sunday, June 19. We watched Goblet of Fire as well as discussed the Climate Crisis Horcrux.

On June 26th, we will be watching Order of the Phoenix as well as working on our knitting projects for the Snuggles Project and Warm Up America.

The Countdown

Our movie countdown to the eighth and final Potter film continues!

On June 12th, we watched Prisoner of Azkaban and made Hero Mail cards for Operation Write Home.

On June 19th, we will be watching Goblet of Fire as well as discussing the Climate Crisis Horcrux.

The Climate Crisis Horcrux is the seventh Horcrux of the HPA's Deathly Hallows Campaign. To learn more about this Horcrux, go here - http://bit.ly/horcrux7

June Meeting Notes

Our June meeting was this morning, and here is the summary:

Deathly Hallows Campaign - The seventh Horcrux will be launched tomorrow at 4pm at http://www.livestream.com/imaginebetter. It will be the Climate Crisis Horcrux, which as you've probably guessed from the name, has to do with the environment. We will know more about this Horcrux, including what the "ask" is, after tomorrow's livestream.

Knitting Projects - These are still going strong! We are knitting snuggles for the Snuggles Project (http://www.snugglesproject.org) as well as afghan squares for Warm Up America (http://www.warmupamerica.org).

Operation Write Home - Since we didn't have a whole lot to discuss this month, we wrote some Hero Mail for Operation Write Home (http://www.operationwritehome.org).

Movie Nights - These have been working out well so far, and we are going to continue them up until the final film. We will be watching Prisoner of Azkaban tomorrow. We'll also do a few more cards for Operation Write Home tomorrow; then we'll have a nice stack to mail out.

Next Meeting - Our July meeting will be Saturday July 23rd.

Dumbledore's Army of Delaware County is a community chapter of the Harry Potter Alliance. New members are always welcome! To learn more or to get involved, please e-mail danielleg@thehpalliance.org. To learn more about the HPA in general, please visit, http://www.thehpalliance.org. You can also follow our chapter on Twitter, http://www.twitter.com/DAofDelco.

The Countdown Continues

We continued our countdown to the final Potter film this weekend as we watched Chamber of Secrets. We also worked on our knitting projects. We are knitting afghan squares for Warm Up America (www.warmupamerica.org) as well as snuggles for the Snuggles Project (www.snugglesproject.org). Here is some of our work so far:

The Countdown Begins

We are having a movie countdown to the final Potter movie coming out later this summer. This weekend we watched Sorcerer's Stone as well as painted our toes for Toemageddon. (www.toemageddon.com)

May Meeting Notes

Our May meeting was yesterday, and here is a summary of what was discussed:

Child Slavery Horcrux - The HPA launched the sixth Horcrux of the Deathly Hallows Campaign on May 1st. It is the Child Slavery Horcrux, and it is closely related to the first Horcrux we worked with, the Starvation Wages Horcrux (fair trade/chocolate). At the livestream that launched the Horcrux on the 1st, we watched "The Dark Side of Chocolate," which is a documentary about child trafficking in the chocolate industry. Something that HPA members are encouraged to do for this Horcrux is write CNN Freedom Project iReports.

Toemageddon - This is a project organized by the HPA that has to do with LGBT bullying. Basically, it became a big media story in the more conservative media outlets when a 5-year-old boy was photographed with his toes painted pink. His mother was accused of turning him gay by letting him wear this nail polish. With Toemageddon, we are compiling a petition against the LGBT bullying that happens in the media. However, instead of signing our names, we are painting our toes. To join in, go here - http://www.facebook.com/toemageddon

Knitting Projects - We are still working on our chapter knitting projects. We are knitting snuggles for the Snuggles Project (www.snugglesproject.org) and afghan squares for Warm Up America (www.warmupamerica.org).

June Meeting - Our June meeting will be Saturday June 11th.

Dumbledore's Army of Delaware County is a community chapter of the Harry Potter Alliance. New members are always welcome! To learn more or to get involved, please e-mail danielleg@thehpalliance.org. To learn more about the HPA in general, please visit www.thehpalliance.org. You can also follow our chapter on Twitter, www.twitter.com/DAofDelco.

May Meeting Reminder

Our May meeting is this Saturday May 7th. We will be discussing the latest Horcrux in the Deathly Hallows Campaign, the Child Slavery Horcrux. We will also be discussing a non-DHC project that the HPA is coordinating, Toemaggedon. New members are always welcome! For more info, please e-mail danielleg@thehpalliance.org.

April Meeting Notes

Our April meeting was this morning, and here is a summary of what we discussed:

• Accio Books - Accio Books, the HPA's annual book drive, has been extended through the end of April this year. If you have books that you would like to donate but aren't sure where to send them, pop me an e-mail (danielleg@thehpalliance.org), and I can help you find a good home for them!


• Knitting Projects - This is still going strong! We are knitting snuggles for The Snuggles Project (www.snugglesproject.org) and afghan squares for Warm Up America (www.warmupamerica.org).


• Operation Write Home - This is what we spent the majority of today's meeting working on. We made cards/wrote letters for Operation Write Home (www.operationwritehome.org). This is a project we did in the past, and we decided now was a good time to bring it back!


• May Meeting - Our May meeting will be Saturday May 7th.

Dumbledore's Army of Delaware County is a community chapter of the Harry Potter Alliance. New members are always welcome! To learn more or to get involved, please e-mail danielleg@thehpalliance.org. To learn more about the HPA in general, please visit www.thehpalliance.org. You can also follow our chapter on Twitter, www.twitter.com/DAofDelco.

April Meeting Reminder

Just a friendly reminder: Our April meeting is this Saturday April 9th. New members are always welcome! Please e-mail danielleg@thehpalliance.org to learn more or to get involved!

Accio Books Party this Saturday!

Our Accio Books Party is this Saturday, March 19!

Where?
Media-Upper Providence Free Library
1 East Front Street
Media, PA 19063

What time?
1pm - 3pm

Why?
To collect books and have fun!
Please bring any new or gently books to donate. We will be distributing them to several local organizations. While you're there, join in our Potter-themed games.

Need an extra incentive to attend?
There will be free cookies. :)

Hope to see you there!

March Meeting Notes

Our March meeting was this afternoon, and here is a summary of what we discussed:

Accio Books - It's March, and that means it is Accio Books month. The main way our chapter is collecting books will be through our Accio Books Party at the Media Library on March 19th. You can RSVP to the party here, http://dft.ba/-fAa We have lots of fun Potter-themed games and activities planned, and we hope to see you there! If you would like to donate books for Accio Books but cannot make it to the party, please e-mail danielleg@thehpalliance.org, and we can figure out what is the best way for you to donate.

Knitting Projects - We are starting our annual knitting projects again. Some of us are knitting snuggles for the Snuggles Project (http://www.snugglesproject.org), and some of us are knitting afghan squares for Warm Up America (http://www.warmupamerica.org).

Next Meeting - Our next meeting will be Saturday April 9th.

Dumbledore's Army of Delaware County is a chapter of the Harry Potter Alliance. New members are always welcome! For more information or to get involved, please e-mail danielleg@thehpalliance.org. To learn more about the HPA in general, please visit http://www.thehpalliance.org. You can also follow our chapter on Twitter, http://www.twitter.com/DAofDelco.

Accio Books Party!

Dumbledore's Army of Delaware County is hosting an Accio Books party!

When: Saturday March 19th, 1pm - 3pm

Where: Media-Upper Providence Free Library
1 East Front Street
Media, PA 19063

Please bring new or gently-used books to donate. Then stick around for Potter-themed games and activities!

Questions? Please e-mail danielleg@thehpalliance.org.

Hope to see you there!

March Meeting Reminder

Our March meeting is this Sunday, March 6th. Since it is March, the majority of the discussion will be related to Accio Books. :)

Dumbledore's Army of Delaware County is a community chapter of the Harry Potter Alliance. New members are always welcome! To learn more or to get involved, please e-mail danielleg@thehpalliance.org. To learn more about the HPA in general, please visit http://www.thehpalliance.org. You can also follow our chapter on Twitter, http://www.twitter.com/DAofDelco.

February Meeting Notes

Our February meeting was this morning, and here is a summary of what we discussed:


Valentines - At this morning's meeting, we made Valentines for Nestle and Hershey, urging them to switch to Fair Trade chocolate. This project is not organized by the HPA; it is organized by a group called Stop The Traffik. However, the whole Fair Trade chocolate issues ties right in with what we were doing in the Starvation Wages Horcrux a few months ago. If you would like to participate in this project on your own, you can check out the website here, http://stopthetraffik-news.org/D57-CQ8P-623B9PUAD/cr.aspx?b=32.

DHC - The Bullying Horcrux - The fourth Horcrux of the Deathly Hallows Campaign is the Bullying Horcrux. While many people are bullied for different reasons, the HPA is focusing on the LGBTQ community for this Horcrux. This Horcrux is also a House Cup. Here are the different tasks you can do to earn points for your House:

• Sign the Make It Better Oath, http://thehpalliance.org/action/campaigns/deathly-hallows/horcrux-4/make-it-better/.
• Share the HPA Make It Better video, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d06aJmDoxm0.
• Make a response Make It Better video.
• "Like" Fans for Equality on facebook, http://www.facebook.com/fansforequality.
• Invite 10 friends to "like" Fans for Equality.
• Making phone calls during Wrock 4 Equality 2.
• Getting friends to make phone calls during Wrock 4 Equality 2.

Wrock 4 Equality 2 is a campaign for marriage equality in Rhode Island. (The 2 is because the HPA had a campaign called Wrock 4 Equality in 2009 where we campaigned for marriage equality in Maine.) This will be taking place on February 26th and will be completely online. For more info on this and on everything related to the Bullying Horcrux, please visit http://bit.ly/horcrux4.

Accio Books - Accio Books, our annual book drive which takes place in March, is almost here! Things are still in the planning stages, nothing definite yet, but we hope to have something together soon!

Borders Benefit Days - The HPA is teaming up with Borders on March 19 and 20. When shoppers present a pass, a portion of the money that they are spending will go to benefit the Harry Potter Alliance.

Next Meeting - Our next meeting will be Sunday March 6th.

Dumbledore's Army of Delaware County is a community chapter of the Harry Potter Alliance. New members are always welcome! To learn more or to get involved, please e-mail danielleg@thehpalliance.org. You can also follow our chapter on Twitter, http://www.twitter.com/DAofDelco. For more information on the HPA in general, please visit http://www.thehpalliance.org.

February Meeting Reminder

Our February meeting is this Saturday, February 12th. We will be doing a Valentine's project as well as discussing the fourth Horcrux of the Deathly Hallows Campaign, the Bullying Horcrux. There are some exciting things coming up for the HPA in March, so we will be talking about those a bit as well.

Dumbledore's Army of Delaware County is a chapter of the Harry Potter Alliance. New members are always welcome! To learn more or to get involved, please e-mail danielleg@thehpalliance.org You can also follow us on Twitter, www.twitter.com/DAofDelco. To learn more about the HPA in general, please visit www.thehpalliance.org.

The Bullying Horcrux

The fourth Horcrux of the Deathly Hallows Campaign, the Bullying Horcrux, was launched on February 2nd. Many people are bullied as children for one reason or another, but for this Horcrux, we are focusing on the LGBTQ community. Kids who identify themselves as LGBTQ are often bullied by their classmates, and they later face a government that denies them the right to marry.

The HPA is partnering with the Make It Better Project, a project of the Gay-Straight Alliance. Rather than waiting for it to get better, we want to make it better now. You can sign the Make It Better Oath as well as watch the HPA's Make It Better video here, http://thehpalliance.org/action/campaigns/deathly-hallows/horcrux-4/make-it-better/.

Later in the month the HPA will be working with MassEquality and Marriage Equality Rhode Island for Wrock 4 Equality 2. (Wrock 4 Equality 2009 was a campaign for equal marriage in Maine.) On Saturday, February 26, 2011, we will be asking Rhode Island residents to support the upcoming same-sex marriage bill. Don't live in Rhode Island? No problem! This is taking place completely on the internet. In the morning, we are meeting at http://www.livestream.com/imaginebetter for wizard rock performances and phone bank training. We will be using MassEquality's phone banking system to call Rhode Island residents - free of charge. There will be wrock performances and guests throughout the day on the livestream, and at the end of the day, we will all meet back up for one last wrock out.

While there are many parallels between the Harry Potter series and LGBTQ issues, such LGBTQ parallels exist in many books and films. The HPA has created Fans for Equality, a place for fans of all sorts of things to come together for equal rights. You can check out the facebook page here, http://www.facebook.com/fansforequality. Don't forget to "like" it and invite your friends!

This Horcrux is also a House Cup, so don't forget to go to http://bit.ly/horcrux4 and log your House Points! You can earn points by signing the Make It Better Oath, "liking" Fans for Equality on facebook, inviting 10 friends to "like" Fans for Equality, sharing the HPA Make It Better video, making a response Make It Better video, making phone calls during Wrock 4 Equality 2, and getting friends to make phone calls during Wrock 4 Equality 2.

750 Books!

The Harry Potter club at Merion Mercy Academy recently held a book drive at their school where they collected 750 books! That is incredible! Great work, girls!

The Body Bind Horcrux, Week 4

It is the fourth week of January and the fourth week of the Body Bind Horcrux already. (How did that happen?) The theme this week is De-Stress! While we all get busy with work, school, or extracurricular activities, it is very important to take some time out to relax and de-stress. Here are a few simple ideas on ways to de-stress:

• Take time each day to relax your mind.
• Yoga.
• De-clutter.
• Go for a walk.
• Read for fun.
• Get plenty of sleep.
• Take time out for a favorite hobby.
• Pray or meditate.

The Body-Bind Horcrux, Week 3

This week, January 16-22, is week 3 of the Body-Bind Horcrux. The theme this week is Get Active! Here are some easy tasks we can all try this week in an effort to get active:

• Take your dog for a walk.
• Shovel snow.
• Exercise.
• Walk instead of drive.

For more great ideas regarding the Body-Bind Horcrux, check out the blogs at www.thehpalliance.org/blog.

The Body-Bind Horcrux, Weeks 1 and 2

The main topic of our January meeting was the Body-Bind Horcrux. This Horcrux is divided into four subsections, giving each full week of January a particular focus. We brainstormed easy tasks that people could try each week. Here is what we came up with for the first two weeks:

Week 1 - January 2-8 - Breaking Out of the Muggle Mindset

• Give someone a compliment.
• Encourage/support others.

Week 2 - January 9-15 - Nourish Your Body

• Eat fruits and vegetables.
• Drink plenty of water.
• Substitute water or juice for soda.
• Eat healthy snacks.

January Meeting Notes

Our January meeting was yesterday, and here is a summary of what we talked about:

Deathly Hallows Campaign, Body-Bind Horcrux - We have moved onto the third Horcrux of the DHC, the Body-Bind Horcrux. This Horcrux is about physical health, taking care of ourselves, and living a healthy lifestyle. It is a very timely Horcrux as many people make New Year's resolutions based on these issues. This Horcrux is a bit different from the previous two in that there is not one specific task that HPA members are asked to do. HPA staffers have written several interesting blogs on the Body-Bind Horcrux, and you can check them out here, www.thehpalliance.org/blog. The Horcrux is divided into four subsections. At our meeting yesterday, we brainstormed tasks that could be done for each topic. No one is expected to do all of the tasks we came up with, but everyone is encouraged to try at least a few of them.

Book Auction - Last year JK Rowling donated a set of signed Harry Potter books to be auctioned off for Helping Haiti Heal. The books were actually won by a company, the Association of Electrical Contractors of New York City, and they have put the books up for re-auction. One raffle ticket is $40, or three tickets are $100. You can buy tickets here, http://thehpalliance.org/action/campaigns/donate-to-scholarship-fund/. The proceeds go to AEC's Scholarship Fund, which gives scholarships to students interested in studying engineering, and Kamp Kiwanis, a camp in upstate New York for handicapped and underprivileged kids. The drawing will take place on January 23, 2011. Please pass this information on to anyone you think may be interested!

Next Meeting - Our next meeting will be Saturday February 12th.

Dumbledore's Army of Delaware County is a community chapter of the Harry Potter Alliance. For more information or to get involved, please e-mail danielleg@thehpalliance.org. To learn more about the HPA in general, please visit www.thehpalliance.org.

January Meeting Reminder

Happy New Year!

Our January meeting is this Saturday January 8th. The main topic of this meeting will be the third Horcrux of the Dealthly Hallows Campaign, which is the Body Bind Horcrux. While December's Horcrux, the Dementor Horcrux, focused on mental health, the Body Bind Horcrux focuses on physical health, taking care of ourselves, and healthy lifestyle.

Dumbledore's Army of Delaware County is a community chapter of the Harry Potter Alliance. New members are always welcome! To learn more or to get involved, please e-mail danielleg@thehpalliance.org. You can also follow our chapter on Twitter, www.twitter.com/DAofDelco. To learn more about the HPA in general, please visit www.thehpalliance.org.