Pantozzi cosplays as a Red Lantern

Geeks know how to mobilize. Contrary to what you might think, they don’t just mobilize to save failing television shows. Sometimes, they use their vast social networking skills to mobilize for good. Sometimes, they mobilize to change the world. I hope to regularly spotlight those geeky activists here at ChinaShop to show the world what I already know; that the Geek Community is made up of some of the most caring and heroic people on the planet!

Pantozzi as Ravager at a recent comic con

Jill Pantozzi, better known as The Nerdy Bird through her popular blog, Has Boobs, Reads Comics, is one such geek girl. Having been diagnosed with muscular dystrophy when she was 2 ½ years old, she’s been involved with the Muscular Dystrophy Association from a very early age.

“Without MDA and all the people who work and volunteer for them, I don’t know where I’d be today. When I was 7 I was chosen to be the Goodwill Ambassador for the state of New Jersey, traveling around speaking at fundraising events and putting a face on the disease for a lot of people who may not have been too familiar with it before. Since then I’ve appeared on the Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon each year basically doing the same thing and getting a real love for broadcasting and journalism.”

Blog aside, Jill covers comics for websites like Newsarama, MTV Splash Page, Comic Book Resources, and ToplessRobot, and she was up until recently a radio DJ. Clearly, she wasn’t kidding about her love of broadcasting and journalism, and these days you can’t swing a cat without hitting a website she writes for. All this has earned her a tremendous following, particularly in geek circles, and when The Nerdy Bird speaks, those followers listen!

“I’ve always used whatever I had at my disposal to help raise awareness for the cause whether that’s collecting money in the office for a fundraising walk or tweeting about the Telethon. It just so happens I have a large and very generous and caring following through my blog and on Twitter. Whenever a big MDA event is happening I post about it and they certainly show their support. Even if they can’t donate they help me spread the word even further or do some volunteering and all three of those things warm my heart. I’m lucky to have what I affectionately call my ‘Nerds of Prey.’”

Pantozzi and the Shatesky brothers at last year’s MDA Telethon

Earlier this fall, Jill was promoting Rock Against Dystrophy, a series of concerts and music-themed fundraisers for the MDA organized by brothers John Shatesky Jr. and Josh Shatesky, the most recent of which was held in Coney Island in October and featured bands like Thinning the Herd, Shadow of Demise, and Gods Green Earth . She sent out the Facebook link for the October event, and soon the event was bouncing around everywhere. When I asked her if she finds that geeks are more likely to rally behind a cause, she says:

“Obviously I can’t speak for them as a whole but in my recent experience at least, yes, I do think that geeks have been more likely to mobilize for causes. I remember pulling teeth at one job to get people to donate just a few dollars or simply walk alongside me at a MDA walk. I have complete strangers commenting on my blog or asking what they can do to help. Why that is, I really don’t know. It might just be that these folks have found a more personal attachment to the cause through me. Sometimes it’s hard for people to get involved or care about something unless it directly affects them and now that they’ve come to know me through reading my blog, other online activities, or even meeting me in person at a convention, they feel compelled to help.”

Pantozzi as a “Classy Green Lantern” amongst the other Classy Lanterns at a recent comic con.

Jill Pantozzi manages to be the face of a cause that means a lot to her personally as she pursues the geeky things she loves. We should all blend our lives and our causes so seamlessly. I know that as long as The Nerdy Bird continues to be an activist for the MDA, her Nerds of Prey – myself included – will be standing right alongside.

If you’d like to be a Nerd of Prey, here are some links to get you started!

To donate to Rock Against Dystrophy and help them put on more awesome events,  CLICK HERE!

To donate to the Muscular Dystrophy Association directly, CLICK HERE!

Words by Teresa Jusino. Photos courtesy of Jill Pantozzi.