Charity Work and Charity of Choice
“Science fiction offers us a glimpse of the best possible futures. Fantasy is the purest form of dreams. Charities we help offer a grounded reality that combines the best future and dreams in one.”
LibertyCon has been a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization since its inception. Formed in 1987 with the express goal of promoting literacy and education in the Chattanooga area, LibertyCon has done its best to follow that mission. Each year we invite amazing guests and hold incredible panels covering literature, art, and the sciences. As a non-profit ourselves, we’ve always felt very strongly about helping other local and worthwhile non-profit organizations around the Chattanooga Tennessee area.
We love to make LibertyCon happen as much as the attendees, pros, and guests love to be here. LibertyCon is dear to our hearts and we consider all who come to the con as family. The LibertyCon Board of Directors does its best to keep the costs of running the convention as minimal as possible while still providing an outstanding event for all of our attendees. Everyone on the board and staff of LibertyCon are volunteers. Nobody gets paid to help out. Every volunteer pays for their badge membership, hotel rooms, and banquet tickets. LibertyCon is a labor of friendship, family, and joy.
None of us does this for the money; however, we DO love to give money to charities. All the proceeds raised through badge membership, donations, and the Charity Auction go to the LibertyCon Charity of Choice for the year. Since starting our Charity of Choice program in 2006, we have donated over $190,000 to deserving groups.
LibertyCon 38 Charity of Choice
LibertyCon 38
Art 120
Chattanooga, TN
A.R.T. is our Mission
We foster AWARENESS between the community and artists, educators, and non-profit organizations to build a creative network that encompasses a 120-mile radius around Chattanooga.
We REACH out to the public and underserved schools through free art events in Hamilton County that help strengthen Chattanooga’s ties to its creative
community while recognizing participating artists of all ages and mediums.
We provide TEACHING opportunities that allow youth to take ownership of their ideas and express themselves without fear.
Art 120 exists because everyone should have the opportunity to develop their creativity through arts and cultural experiences regardless of age, ethnicity, gender, or social status. We believe that art is for everyone.
Previous Charities of Choice
LibertyCon 37: $21,000
Chambliss Center for Children Isiah 117 House
Hamilton County, TN
When children are removed from their homes out of concern for their safety, they are usually brought to a child welfare services office to await placement. This wait can be a few hours to several days. These children often have nothing with them and are scared, lonely, hungry, and in dirty clothing.
Isaiah 117 provides a comforting home where these children instead can be brought to wait – a place that is safe with friendly and loving volunteers who provide clean clothes, smiles, toys, and snuggly blankets. This space allows children to receive the comfort and care they need while child welfare staff can do the necessary paperwork and identify a good placement.
The mission of Isaiah 117 House is threefold:
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Reduce Trauma
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Lighten the Load
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Ease the Transition
LibertyCon 36: $15,000
Sleep in Heavenly Peace
TN-South Pittsburg
All children deserve a safe, comfortable place to lay their heads. In Idaho and across the US, too many boys and girls go without a bed—or even a pillow—to sleep on. These children end up sleeping on couches, blankets, and even floors. This can affect their happiness and health.
That’s where Sleep in Heavenly Peace comes in. We’re a group of volunteers dedicated to building, assembling and delivering top-notch bunk beds to children and families in need.
If a child needs a bed, we want to make sure they get one. NO KID SLEEPS ON THE FLOOR IN OUR TOWN!®
LibertyCon 35: $20,000
Ronald McDonald House of Greater Chattanooga
The mission of Ronald McDonald House Charities® of Greater Chattanooga is to provide families with the care and resources they need when their child is sick and to support programs and services that directly improve the health and well-being of children.
With the help of our local community and a strong network of chapters to share best practices, RMHC of Greater Chattanooga is able to carry out its mission by providing the best possible resources, facilities, and services benefiting children and their families at a time of need or medical crisis.
LibertyCon 34: $15,000
Lana's Love Foundation
About the Lana’s Love Foundation:
“We don’t know of anyone that has not been affected by cancer …whether it be a relative, friend, or co-worker. To have a child stricken with cancer is beyond description. Lana Beth was not the only one with cancer …we all felt we had the disease as well.
“Cindy and I talked many times, as bad as having a child with cancer is, it would be 100 times worse if we did not have some resources. Many people have to make a decision to go to work or to stay at the hospital with their sick child taking chemo. There is no money left for presents or to just have fun. Lana’s Love was created so those kids can have fun.”
LibertyCon 33: $11,500
Downside Up
Downside Up—a parent-directed non-profit providing support, education, and encouragement for parents, families and others who love and care about people with Down Syndrome. They connect children with the resources they need to grow and thrive. They inspire community acceptance by sharing with others the presence and potential of people with Down Syndrome. And They welcome every new family into our own, meeting them exactly where they are on this wild ride.
LibertyCon 32: $19,000
A Smile for Troops
A Smile for Troops mission is to provide care packages for deployed service members; their goal is simply to bring a smile to the faces of as many of our nation’s finest men and women as possible. This is done this through providing baked goods and other donated items and sent to those deployed to bring a smile to their face, help with morale, and let them know those of us over here are aware they are over there.
LibertyCon 31: $19,000
Chattanooga Room in the Inn
Helping Women and Children Overcome Homelessness
Chattanooga Room in the Inn (CRITI) Mission Statement
“To empower women and children experiencing homelessness to become self-sufficient by offering a temporary home while providing programs and services necessary to meet their goals.
CRITI is a three to nine month residential program for homeless women and children. Services provided at CRITI are free of charge and include transitional housing, three meals a day, access to affordable or free health care, life skills training, parenting classes, mentoring, assistance with finding affordable housing, and case management services. This program allows the women and their children to find stability and thereby increase their opportunities and chances for independence when they leave the program.
LibertyCon 30: $17,000
Austin Hatcher Foundation for Pediatric Cancer
The Austin Hatcher Foundation for Pediatric Cancer’s mission is to erase the effects of pediatric cancer and optimize each child’s quality of life through essential specialized intervention beginning at the time of diagnoses and continuing throughout survivorship.
The Foundation provides services to children with cancer as well as their families through its four major divisions; Industrial Arts, Diversionary Therapy, Psycho-Oncology, and Healthy Lifestyle Education.
LibertyCon 29: $16,000
Lana's Love Foundation
About the Lana’s Love Foundation:
“We don’t know of anyone that has not been affected by cancer …whether it be a relative, friend, or co-worker. To have a child stricken with cancer is beyond description. Lana Beth was not the only one with cancer …we all felt we had the disease as well.
“Cindy and I talked many times, as bad as having a child with cancer is, it would be 100 times worse if we did not have some resources. Many people have to make a decision to go to work or to stay at the hospital with their sick child taking chemo. There is no money left for presents or to just have fun. Lana’s Love was created so those kids can have fun.”
LibertyCon 28: $9,000
Bethel Bible Village
The Bethel Bible Village story began in 1954, with six boys living in cardboard boxes because their father was in prison and their mother was living in a facility and was not available to care for them. Floyd Hipp, a prison minister, realized something had to be done for children who were not legally “orphans,” but had no parent to care for them. He opened a home for those six boys and our ministry has grown from there.
For 60+ years we have witnessed how Rev. Hipp’s faith-based approach can help young people in crisis. We accept children and teens of any faith, as well as those who have no faith-based connection.
Over the years Bethel moved from its original location on Signal Mountain to its current campus in Hixson, thanks to a generous donation of land.
LibertyCon 27
AIM Center
RELATIONSHIPS + WORK = RECOVERY!
AIM Center is a not-for-profit mental health program offering employment, education, housing, socialization, and wellness opportunities for adults living with serious mental illness. We are non-medical and non-clinical; however, we work in concert with other mental health professionals to provide comprehensive mental health services. Our focus is recovery! Using the Clubhouse program model of psychosocial rehabilitation, AIM Center allows members to develop relationships and create an individual recovery plan while working side by side with other participants and staff. Since 1989, we have helped over 3,00 adults in the Chattanooga community lead a full and meaningful life while living with serious mental illness.
LibertyCon 26: $11,000
Chattanooga Area Food Bank
CHATTANOOGA AREA FOOD BANK (CAFB) MISSION
We bring nourishing food to the people of our region who have the need, and courage, to seek help. Working hand in hand with retailers, manufacturers, farmers, buying alliances and individual donors, our mission is to end hunger for every person in our region, today. And tomorrow, do it again.
LibertyCon 25: $5,000
Challenger STEM Learning Center
CHALLENGER STEM LEARNING CENTER (CSLC) VISION
The UTC Challenger STEM Learning Center is a member of the National Challenger Center Network that has 45 centers located in the United States, Great Britain, South Korea and Canada. The Challenger Centers were built as a living memorial for the crew of the Challenger Space Shuttle mission that ended in tragedy on January 28, 1986. Their mission was one of education with the first teacher “Christa McAuliffe” being a member of the crew. Today that education mission still lives in the Challenger Centers where students can explore hands-on science, technology, engineering and math programs.
LibertyCon 24: $5,000
Ronald McDonald House of Greater Chattanooga
The mission of Ronald McDonald House Charities® of Greater Chattanooga is to provide families with the care and resources they need when their child is sick and to support programs and services that directly improve the health and well-being of children.
With the help of our local community and a strong network of chapters to share best practices, RMHC of Greater Chattanooga is able to carry out its mission by providing the best possible resources, facilities, and services benefiting children and their families at a time of need or medical crisis.
LibertyCon 23: $3,000
Special Olympics Tennessee
The mission of Special Olympics is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community.
LibertyCon 22
Chattanooga Area Food Bank
CHATTANOOGA AREA FOOD BANK (CAFB) MISSION
We bring nourishing food to the people of our region who have the need, and courage, to seek help. Working hand in hand with retailers, manufacturers, farmers, buying alliances and individual donors, our mission is to end hunger for every person in our region, today. And tomorrow, do it again.
LibertyCon 21
Orange Grove Center
The Orange Grove Center is a private non-profit organization, serving adults and children with intellectual disabilities. The agency was founded in 1953 by a group of Chattanooga parents and community leaders who were seeking services for disabled children within the county.
Orange Grove Center continues to positively impact lives. And while the challenge of maintaining long-term support for our communities’ developmentally disabled citizens is omnipresent, we approach the future in the same fashion as did our predecessors in 1953.
Embrace the challenge and move forward! That’s just the way it’s done at Orange Grove Center.
LibertyCon 20
Special Olympics Tennessee
The mission of Special Olympics is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community.
LibertyCon 19: $2,000
Chattanooga Area Food Bank
CHATTANOOGA AREA FOOD BANK (CAFB) MISSION
We bring nourishing food to the people of our region who have the need, and courage, to seek help. Working hand in hand with retailers, manufacturers, farmers, buying alliances and individual donors, our mission is to end hunger for every person in our region, today. And tomorrow, do it again.
LibertyCon 13
Chattanooga JayCees
J.J. Johnson Memorial Scholarship Fund
The Junior Chamber (Jaycees) is the younger branch of Junior Chamber International that is a “leadership training service and civic organization for young men between the ages of 18 and 40."
LibertyCon 12
Chattanooga JayCees
J.J. Johnson Memorial Scholarship Fund
The Junior Chamber (Jaycees) is the younger branch of Junior Chamber International that is a “leadership training service and civic organization for young men between the ages of 18 and 40."
LibertyCon 11
Chattanooga JayCees
Suzie Skelton Mediacal Fund
The Junior Chamber (Jaycees) is the younger branch of Junior Chamber International that is a “leadership training service and civic organization for young men between the ages of 18 and 40."
LibertyCon 10
Chattanooga JayCees
J.J. Johnson Memorial Scholarship Fund
The Junior Chamber (Jaycees) is the younger branch of Junior Chamber International that is a “leadership training service and civic organization for young men between the ages of 18 and 40."
LibertyCon 9
Chattanooga JayCees
J.J. Johnson Memorial Scholarship Fund
The Junior Chamber (Jaycees) is the younger branch of Junior Chamber International that is a “leadership training service and civic organization for young men between the ages of 18 and 40."
LibertyCon 8
J.J. Johnson Memorial Scholarship Fund
LibertyCon 7
Chattanooga JayCees
J.J. Johnson Memorial Scholarship Fund
The Junior Chamber (Jaycees) is the younger branch of Junior Chamber International that is a “leadership training service and civic organization for young men between the ages of 18 and 40."
LibertyCon 6
Chattanooga JayCees
J.J. Johnson Memorial Scholarship Fund
The Junior Chamber (Jaycees) is the younger branch of Junior Chamber International that is a “leadership training service and civic organization for young men between the ages of 18 and 40."
LibertyCon 5
J.J. Johnson Memorial Scholarship Fund
LibertyCon 4
The Robert Adams Memorial Fund
LibertyCon 3
Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) &
Robert Adams Hospitalization Fund
Neuromuscular diseases take away abilities many of us take for granted— moving, speaking, eating, even breathing.
At MDA, we’re funding innovative research that leads to real world treatments, changing the landscape for people living with these conditions. We also provide access to expert care, trusted resources and a supportive community, empowering people living with neuromuscular disease to live longer, stronger and on their own terms.
LibertyCon 2
Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA)
Neuromuscular diseases take away abilities many of us take for granted— moving, speaking, eating, even breathing.
At MDA, we’re funding innovative research that leads to real world treatments, changing the landscape for people living with these conditions. We also provide access to expert care, trusted resources and a supportive community, empowering people living with neuromuscular disease to live longer, stronger and on their own terms.
LibertyCon 1
Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA)
Neuromuscular diseases take away abilities many of us take for granted— moving, speaking, eating, even breathing.
At MDA, we’re funding innovative research that leads to real world treatments, changing the landscape for people living with these conditions. We also provide access to expert care, trusted resources and a supportive community, empowering people living with neuromuscular disease to live longer, stronger and on their own terms.