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| Photo by David Carnahan |
Based out of: Seattle
Team Affiliation: Rain City Superhero Movement
Team title: Executive Officer, Director of Human Resources
Author's notes: After asking Evocatus to sum up who he is and why he joined the Rain City Superhero Movement in Seattle, I thought I would just repost most of his response here.
From Evocatus:
Hi, I’m Evocatus, or
“Evo,” for short. I joined the RCSM candidacy program in
September 2012, and became a junior ranking member shortly after. I had been a
fan of Phoenix Jones for a while prior to that, and was fascinated by an actual
team of people who chose to make an active difference in their community, by
patrolling the streets of Seattle.
Having spent nearly a decade in the military,
I was drawn to working in a team element, and had honestly missed that
particular component once I’d left that life behind. This, combined with a
strong sense of community service, seemed to make me a shoe-in for this line of
volunteer activism.
Learning about each individual member, helped
me understand why we’re all here. Most of us are in our mid-20’s to mid-30’s,
married, children, work regular jobs, and live otherwise quite normal lives,
which wasn’t what I’d expected. I think most of us presume anyone in the RLSH
community is likely in their teens, live with their parents, and play video
games for a living. The members of this team are quite real, and aren’t the
normal caricatures of spandexed heroism we’re used to imagining. Simply put,
we’re everyone.
We’re you, reading this. We’re that guy that helps you jump
start your car at work, or the woman that offers you to go ahead of her in line
at the store. We are that kind person that offers a smile every morning at the
bus stop, we are that person that kept the door open a few more seconds so you
could get in from the rain, we are the volunteer at that one crisis clinic a
friend you know went to.
I’ve since been patrolling at least once per
week for over a year now, have done several blood drives, spoken at schools,
worked with a camp for disabled children, conducted/participated in almost two
dozen food & clothing handouts for the homeless, and I’m excited for the
future of this team, and the things we may inspire others to also do.
The question often comes up, about why I
joined the Rain City Superhero Movement. Being a part of this is simple; the
tangible differences I make to my community keep me motivated, and in love with
this city. The real questions I wonder are, “Why not,” and, “Why did I wait so
long to start?”
Be safe, be kind.
-Evo
