Initiative utilizes many methods of fundraising. Foremost is their annual art auction, auctioning donated original comics art-work at fan conventions. Year-long, they sell donated art and special edition comics at conventions and through the Dynamic Forces website. Artists, writers, and publishers are invited to donate work, and fans are invited to donate money directly to the fund. ACTOR also sells a green Excelsior! wrist-band similar in design to the Livestrong wristband. in 2017, the Arizona Comic Mini Expo held a Drink and Draw event to raise money for the Initiative. Several professional comic book artists provided sketches to be exchanged for donations. The money raised was split between the HERO Initiative and the ACLU of Arizona. Name The Hero Initiative was formerly known as A Commitment to Our Roots, or ACTOR, from its founding until September 2006. While the original name of the organization reflected the charity's goal, the acronym that resulted, ACTOR, more often confused people unfamiliar with the organization. In an effort to expand the marketability and fund-raising ability of the charity, the executive board decided to change the name to something more associated with comic books, thus the new name, Hero, named after the common and recognizable comic industry word Superhero. Awards Hero Initiative Lifetime Achievement Award 2006: George Pérez (1954–2022), John Romita, Sr. (1930–) 2007: Joe Kubert (1926–2012) 2008: Nick Cardy (1920–2013) 2009: Neal Adams (1941–2022) 2010: Walt Simonson (1946–) 2011: Stan Lee (1922–2018) 2012: John Romita, Jr. (1956–) 2013: Sal Buscema (1936–) 2014: Herb Trimpe (1939–2015) 2015: Russ Heath (1926-2018) 2016: Joe Giella (1928–) 2017: Marv Wolfman (1946–) 2018: Dennis O'Neil (1939–2020) 2019: José Luis García-López (1948–) 2020: No award presented due to the COVID-19 pandemic 2021: Joe Quesada (1962–) Dick Giordano Humanitarian of the Year Award In 2010, The Hero Initiative created The Dick Giordano Humanitarian of the Year Award, named after former board member Dick Giordano, who had died earlier in the year. The award recognizes one person in comics each year who demonstrates particular generosity and integrity in support of the overall comic book community. It debuted at the 2010 Harvey Awards ceremony held at the Baltimore Comic-Con. 2010: Tim Sale (1956–), Jerry Robinson (1922–2011) 2011: Mike Gold (1950–) 2012: Joe Kubert (1926–2012) 2013: Paul Levitz (1956–) 2014: Stan Goldberg (1932–2014) 2015: Denis Kitchen (1946–) 2016: Beth Widera (19??–) 2017: Joshua Dysart (1971–) 2018: Marc Andreyko (1970–) 2019: Louise Simonson (1946–) 2020: