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CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – The visual is as recognizable as any from the 1980s. The light brown flight suit, the red-crossed ghost logo and, of course, the paranormal-blasting proton pack strapped on the back.
“Ghostbusters” became a cultural phenomenon following the movie’s 1984 release. A children’s cartoon, sequels and reboots have kept the brand fresh for new generations. Now, a Virginia club celebrates the franchise while raising money for charities.
“Our motto in Ghostbusters Virginia is ‘Bustin’ means doing good,’” Richmond club member Jeff Foxwell told Cville Right Now. “The idea is cosplay for a cause. We get dressed up. We go out. We bring attention to different charitable causes with the image of Ghostbusters.”
The group, which was founded in 2001 and became an official 501(c)(3) non-profit in 2021, has a standing partnership with Make-A-Wish Virginia and also works with the SPCA.
Now, a Charlottesville-area man is working to grow the club in this region.
“I’m trying to take the lead in growing what we’re referring to as the Blue Ridge division,” Davis Murphy told Cville Right Now. “Part of the fun of the Ghostbusters is not just going out and doing the charity work, but finding likeminded people.”
Murphy and a member in Stuarts Draft comprise the current Blue Ridge Ghostbusters. Across Virginia, Foxwell said there are about 115 registered members of Ghostbusters Virginia, at least 50 of whom are active making appearances at events including comic conventions, craft fairs and other festivals.
The group, clad in full Ghostbusters uniforms and gear, set up tables and run games tied to the movie. Proceeds from their tables go the charity initiatives.
Foxwell got his first proton pack – a Kenner kids replica – when he was a child. As an adult, he fashioned a homemade pack, even wearing it with his tuxedo for a photo shoot at his wedding.
Joining Ghostbusters Virginia gave the pack a new life.
“It sat in a closet until I met the guys around 2020,” Foxwell said. “And then I decided to dust off the proton pack for a cause.”
Murphy’s Hasbro-pack and Ghostbusting-wand cost about $520, and he’s added about $1,000 in upgrades over the years, he said.
“Proton packs are an investment,” Murphy said.
But for people who want to get involved, Murphy noted there are more affordable options, including a Spirit Halloween version that can be purchased for about $100.
Ghostbusters Virginia is more about building community and helping charities than nailing a 100% authentic recreation of the movie, Foxwell and Murphy said.
“We have a ‘look like a Ghostbuster from 30-feet rule,’” Murphy said. “We’re not like some of the Star Wars groups that have very stringent rules about how screen-accurate your costumes are. We sort of believe that Ghostbusters is a hodge-podge thing. The way you look at it in the movie, you kind of slap the gear together and make it from whatever you can get – As long as you’ve got a flight suit, a belt and something to go on your belt.”
Not taking themselves too seriously is a hallmark of Ghostbusters Virginia, much like it was for Bill Murray, Dan Akroyd, Harold Ramis and Ernie Hudson, the cast of the original film.
“I find we have a lot of success when we’re the oddball,” Foxwell said, noting the group blends in at comic conventions, but stands out at wine festivals or corporate events.
Murphy agreed.
“The kind of events where we do best, you’d think, ‘Oh, you do well at nerd events,’” Murphy said. “That’s where we do our worst. We do our best work at events where we’re an oddity, where we stand out, where we’re something unique.”
This year, Sony Pictures, which released “Ghostbusters,” is running a “Ghostbusters Give Back” initiative where the company will match up to $150,000 per chapter of charitable giving. It began on Ghostbusters Day in 2025 (June 7) and runs until the same event this year (June 8).
On that day, Ghostbusters clubs nationwide gather at the New York City firehouse – Hook and Ladder 8 in Tribeca – that was featured in the film.
With just over a month to go, Ghostbusters Virginia has raised the third most of any chapter in the nation, Foxwell said.
The group has chapters in northern Virginia, Fredericksburg, the Tidewater area and Richmond.
“Naturally, Charlottesville is the next place to go,” Foxwell said.
He noted that’s because it’s a community with a spirit of giving, not because it’s haunted by spirits.
