Expecto Patronum! Dumbledore’s Army at SRU strives to enact positive change through community service, much like their fictional counterpart in the Harry Potter franchise.
“In the books and in the films, Dumbledore’s Army was a group of people coming together to do good for their society,” President Maggie Schaeffer said. “Obviously, Harry Potter was fighting against death eaters and evil people, but here it’s more. We want to work together and do good on campus. Try and give back.”
In the past, community service projects have been Harry Potter themed. One of those projects was a clothing drive entitled “Dobby’s Sock Drive.” The name is inspired by a popular elf from the franchise.
This semester, the club intends to participate in the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life.
“We are also working on doing more to help the environment,” Schaeffer said. “We discussed doing trash pickups because there’s a lot of garbage on the roads between campus and off-campus housing.”
The club has been operating since 2018 but was on hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We’re still in the works of bringing it back since COVID,” Schaeffer said. “It was originally a club that celebrated the works of Harry Potter and had events centered around that…Since I’ve taken over, we’ve transitioned into more of a community service organization.”
Dumbledore’s Army meets twice a month, typically on Tuesdays or Thursdays at 5 p.m. Currently, the club only meets virtually. They intend to gather in Vincent Science Center once they are approved for a room.
