Today was a sad day. Alan Rickman, beloved stage and film actor, director, and favorite among the nerd community, lost his battle with cancer. He was 69 years old. Coming on the heals of the death of another beloved actor and musician, David Bowie (also aged 69)  this loss seemed to hit many people very hard. I count myself among those who mourn for this great talent tonight.

The internet is buzzing with all of those who loved this wonderful man, and the beautiful words and memories have brought tears to my eyes on more than one occasion.

One of my favorite memorials was posted by Erin of The Geeky Cauldron, who is also the creator of the Fandom of the Month Club. She is offering a special Severus Snape Tribute Box in honor of Rickman, and is donating $2.00 of every box sold directly to St. Jude. As of now, it looks as if she she has sold over 1500 boxes and donated about $3000 to the origination. I have already purchased my own box, and I would like to share more information about this, in Erin’s words.

“This “Snape tribute box” came from some amazing customers requesting I do something to tribute Professor Snape. In the past hour the support has been overwhelming. I said before this was not about making money off of a death, but a way for me to make something for all of us to remember our beloved Snape by. That being said I will be donating a large portion of my profits to a cancer research center.” 

She goes on to say, “I quickly realized St. Jude’s would be a perfect place to donate to from our “Snape Tribute Box” profits. They help children all over America and no [child] is ever turned away or charged for their treatment. I think Alan would approve. I’m donating $2 per box. I’ve already donated $2000 as we are looking to hit 1000 boxes sold here shortly and will donate again if we sell past that. *I know many of you suggested a UK charity, but based on conversion rates I feel my American dollar donation would go further staying in America. But I’m sure Alan and all other cancer survivors, victims, and fighters would agree that anyone fighting cancer is on their side. ❤ Thank you EVERYONE for helping make this happen!”

Just in case anyone is wary of the profits not helping this charity, Erin even went a step further and posted proof of her donations. You can see her first donation in the top left of the photo collage below:

After selling an additional 500 boxes, she posted another donation update.

The price of this special box is still priced at $15 (the same as every Fandom of the Month Club Box). I think this is a beautiful and touching gesture, and I love to see business owners giving back to those in need. As it turns out, even more money will be donated. There will be a magnet included in the box, and the designer (Erin’s sister) has asked that her entire design fee be donated on top of the original donation of $2 per box.

These boxes will not last long, so we hope you grab one while you can. You should expect three beautifully designed jewelry pieces (and a magnet) in honor of Severus Snape, and you can feel good about helping a very deserving charity.

I even found my own way to pay tribute to the man who not only meant a great deal to me as the iconic character of Severus Snape, but also as an actor who served as a constant inspiration in my work.

Harry Potter has obviously meant a lot to me. My husband and I had a Harry Potter Wedding, after sharing a love for the exquisite fandom. Severus Snape was such a beautifully crafted character, and Alan Rickman portrayed him brilliantly. I have been planning this tattoo since my wedding, in tribute to my husband. Today, I realized that it could also be in tribute to the incredible actor who brought Severus Snape and his love for Lily to life. As an actor, Alan Rickman inspired me to reach for my dreams, and to always create because bringing something to life is magic. As you spend eternity among the Stars, Mr. Rickman, I will carry you with me. Always.

Only a few hours after hearing the news, I decided it was finally time to get a tattoo I had been planning for years. After all this time, you may even say. I think the reason I never got the nerdy ink before was because I didn’t have the design finalized in my head. I only had the basics carved out. When I heard of the death of Alan Rickman this morning, the tattoo became completely clear to me.

I have seen tattoos in the past that include a wand as the line in the mark of the Deathly Hallows, but the wand in question always had the silhouette of Professor Dumbledore’s  (The Elder Wand).  I decided that I would feature Snape’s wand in my design, and that I would have the tattoo colored in a vibrant Slytherin Green. As a Gryffindor, I think that is a pretty big deal. 🙂 I added the stars last. I cannot say why I thought them appropriate, except to say that Alan’s light always seemed to captivate me. He was a unique talent, and from what I can tell by the kind words of those who knew him, an exceedingly wonderful and kind human being. Now that he has taken his place among those stars, it only seemed appropriate to incorporate them into the design.

Don’t forget, you can grab your own Snape Tribute Box now, and give to a deserving charity at the same time.

Cancer sucks…but together, we can help save others from this sad fate.