There are a few costuming group do different kinds of charity work but none have grown or expanded such as the 501st group which base is their hand-built costume off the bad guys from Star Wars franchise.
Offshoots from that group include the Mandalorian Mercs and the Rebel Legion. The Mandalorian Mercs base their appearances and armor off of the fan favorite character pet is the background on the planet Mandalore which is the training hub for soldiers and mercenaries capable of taking on even Jedi Knights. Friendlier to the heroes and fans and Star Wars franchise is a Rebel Legion base in their uniform costumes and even props off of the heroic side of the Star Wars franchise these intrepid folks are making as much of a splash as the Mmercs and the 501st.
At the Comicpalooza 2017 convention in Houston, Texas we were able to speak to Lucy Sears, Houston Regional Captain for The Rebel Legions Kessel Base and got an idea what differentiates them from the other Star Wars costuming charity groups involved Star Wars and their approach to fan interaction.
The Star Wars based costume community aids and supports primarily those charities that help children such as the Starlight Foundation, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Ronald McDonald House, and UNICEF. All of these costuming groups have to create their own movie quality costumes, with guidelines set down by Lucas films. Due to manufacturing licenses, no one in these groups area allowed to have any store bought components to their outfits.The 501st, the costuming group that based their costume ideas off the Imperial Stormtroopers and officers from the Star Wars franchise have been around the longest where the Mandalorian Mercs and Rebel Legion are the newer part of these groups. Besides science fiction and comic convention, these groups also help out in different around the world from walks for cancer research two children safety awareness camps two appearances at hospitals and safety awareness events the members of these groups show that where they wearing Jedi robes or stormtrooper armor have hearts as big as the Death Star.
