Sponsors
THANK YOU to the generous donations of the 2025 sponsors! These donations made it possible to offer fantastic complimentary tote bags to the first 200 attendees and to have logo t-shirts for this event. We could not have done this event without you!
GRANTS
City of Charleston Tourism Grant
Funding provided in part by City of Charleston Tourism Fund. Website https://www.charlestontourism.org.Coles County Arts Council
Funding provided in part by the Coles County Arts Council. Website https://www.colescountyartscouncil.org/.
PLATINUM SPONSORS
Gifts of $500 or more
Dr. Joan Alvarado
A big thank you to Dr. Alvarado for her most generous Platinum level donation supporting the EIU Comic Fest! Thanks to donations like Joan's, we are able to fund swag bags for the first 200 attendees and bring our incredible keynote speakers to campus.
Cosmic Games
Cosmic Games is a go-to spot for trading card games. They’ve got everything you need to fuel your gaming adventures. Join them for tournaments, special events, and Cosmo’s Out-of-This-World Prize Wall! Come for the games, stay for the community. Located at 309 South 21st Street Suite 3, Mattoon, IL, United States, Illinois.
Dr. Bernie Ranchero/Ranchero Clinic
Dr. Ranchero is a well-respected pillar of the Charleston community, a member of the EIU Board of Trustees, and recently launched his own private practice clinic on 18th Street in Charleston, IL.
Dr. William Weber
Dr. Weber is an EIU emeritus, former Economics professor and Vice President of Business Affairs, as well as a major donor to EIU, including the William Weber Study Abroad Scholarship.
Tarble Arts Center
The Tarble Arts Center is on a mission to "bring the arts to the people." Tarble is the teaching museum on the campus of Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Illinois. With an artist-centered approach, the Tarble presents an annual program of rotating exhibitions that provide experiential encounters with art of international significance and local relevance. An onsite Collection Lab, Design Lab, and Education Lab are hubs for transdisciplinary activity, positioning art as a primary tool for research, advancing knowledge, and interpreting the world we live in. The outcomes of this experimentation produce projects, publications, and opportunities that reach EIU students, community members, regional partners, and international collaborators both in museum and wherever they are. The Tarble’s ongoing stewardship of a permanent collection of contemporary art, American Regionalism, and folk art provides opportunities for study and reflection to students of all ages.
GOLD SPONSORS
Gifts of $250-$499
Todd Bruns and Kai Hung
Professor Bruns is the Head of Scholarly Communication at Booth Library, a self-professed sci-fi and comics geek, and an avid collector of unique stress balls/squishies. Dr. Hung is an Associate Professor of Biology, President of the EIU University Professionals of Illinois, and an avid video gamer of League of Legends and Baldur's Gate. Their donation of 300 superhero squishies made the complimentary tote bags really special.
County Market
Thank you to County Market for the generous donation of $250 worth of Skittles candies bags for our swag bags and information table!
Midgard Comics
A big Thank You to Midgard Comics for their generous donation of hundreds of comic books for our "Blind Date with a Comic Book" activity. Look for your free comics in your complimentary FREE swag bag (for the first 200 attendees), or by winning one at our Prize Wheel!
SILVER SPONSORS
Gifts $100 to $249
Comics Plus
With Comics Plus®, readers can have unlimited, simultaneous access to thousands of digital comics, graphic novels, and manga from a variety of library-friendly publishers. Every title is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, on your computer, tablet or phone—no holds or wait lists required.
Starbucks
Thank you to the Charleston Starbucks at 437 W. Lincoln Avenue in Charleston, IL, for their generous donation of coffee travelers and assorted food for our Speakers Green Room!
Sirius Unbound, located at 501 7th St, Charleston, IL, envisions a future beyond a screen. One where individuals of all backgrounds come together to share and enjoy passion together. Sirius Unbound hopes to lead a small business revolution through inclusiveness, cooperation and community.
Sirius Unbound has designed a model and brand with the intent and capacity to become the Number One Hub for all hobbyist, competitive game players, and collectors while evolving to maintain alignment with trends of time desired by the community of hobbyists, collectors, and gamers.