On Saturday 2nd November during the Space Cowboy Ball which takes place during the New Worlds conference in Houston, Texas, the founder of the 501st Legion, the Walking Wounded, the Galactic Academy and R2-KT Albin Johnson will be receiving the The Peter Mayhew Philanthropy Award for the many charitable endeavours he has been a part of over the years.
The Peter Mayhew Foundation is proud to announce the first annual Peter Mayhew Philanthropy Award to be granted to individuals who exemplify Peter Mayhew’s generous spirit through their works that benefit charity. You can’t talk about the work that the Peter Mayhew Foundation is known for without acknowledging where the Mayhew Foundation began.
In 2005 Albin Johnson was documenting the journey of his daughter Katie Johnson during her battle with terminal brain cancer. A founder of the 501st Legion, Albin’s second family amongst the Star Wars costuming groups rallied to his families aide and among them was a familiar walking carpet, Chewbacca actor Peter Mayhew and his wife Angie Mayhew who followed Albin’s blog every week for updates on Katie’s treatment.
When Katie’s health declined to the point where she could no longer get out of bed, she said she wished she had a droid like R2-D2 watching over her the way R2 had watched over Padmé. R2-KT was born, and following Katie’s passing went from being a comfort to one, into becoming a comfort to many.
Albin’s creation of the “Bad Guys Doing Good” in the 501st Legion has raised over a million dollars for Make-A-Wish and many other charities, and R2-KT continues her impact from the power of the Pink Side in countries all over the world. Albin’s experience, however difficult, became an inspiration to Star Wars fans everywhere including inspiring Peter & Angie Mayhew to create The Peter Mayhew Foundation in 2011. There simply would not be a Mayhew Foundation if it wasn’t for Katie’s story and Albin’s determination to return the support his family had received by raising funds for families battling similar illnesses.
On top of creating the 501st Legion Albin Johnson also founded the Walking Wounded and Galactic Academy costume club for children.
Get Your Tickets For The Award Ceremony During The Space Cowboy Ball on November 2nd in Houston, TX
On behalf of everyone at the Peter Mayhew Foundation, we are proud to be presenting this award memorializing the giving that Peter and Albin began together.
Few – if any – in the fandom has done more or worked harder for charity, and we’re thrilled that Albin will be getting this richly deserved award.
