Thor’s Sanctuary provides safe space for nerds, families

Horizon West resident David Pool, 35, is known to his close friends and family as Jedi Dave. 

He remembers his mother renting a Star Wars movie from the library and bringing it home to him as a young child. He said he was instantly hooked and has become a mega Star Wars nerd ever since. 

Pool’s passion for video games and animation led him to study 3D animation in school, and he has used those nurtured skills and passions to now develop his own nerd safe haven: Thor’s Sanctuary. 

Thor’s Sanctuary is an organization for nerds and families to come together and spend time in a safe space. The group hosts different kinds of themed events for those interested in anything from video games to Pokémon to Dungeons & Dragons. Although some events are adult-only, a majority of the events cater to families and children, as well. 

Created almost two years ago, the group now has more than 100 members. 

The group most recently met for a Family Fun Arcade Night Saturday, Aug. 31, at Playa Pizza. 

Pool brought myriad games and activities, including Playstations, his Nintendo Switch, pre-made decks of Pokémon cards, board games and coloring books.

The reason behind the creation of the group and these free events: to provide a safe space for anyone — no matter their interests.

“Nerds need to be able to have a place to hang out and do fun, nerdy stuff,” Pool said. “It doesn’t have to be just one specific thing, because just like the rest of the world, the nerd community is so diverse. You’ve got anime nerds, horror nerds, sci-fi nerds, furry nerds. There’s a genre for everything, and everyone has a passion for something. I wanted to give people a safe space to hang out. I was bullied a lot growing up, and no one deserves to live in fear. It started as just an idea for everyone to have a good time, but it really has grown into so much more.”

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‘FUN SHOULD BE FREE’

Pool was born in South Carolina and has lived in Horizon West with his family for about nine years.

He used to work for Walt Disney World and was part of the team that helped to open Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge until his health started to decline, and he said he was let go. 

Pool has been diabetic for many years, and his kidneys are failing.

“I’ve dealt with a lot of depression surrounding my sickness, because no one really wants to come to terms with their own demise,” he said. “I have two little ones (who) I want to see grow up. My health is currently stable, but it has gotten progressively worse over time.”

Pool has worked at local business Playa Pizza since 2022, which is around when he first got the idea to form Thor’s Sanctuary. 

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“I wanted to do something that matters in this world, and I wanted to leave something for my children to be happy and proud of,” he said. “I wanted to spend more time with my kids, so I decided to start my own group.”

Pool’s background in 3D animation helped him to quickly design a logo for the group. 

Pool’s family descended from Vikings, and he considers himself to be a modern day Viking. The group’s namesake, Thor, was worshipped by most Vikings and seen as the protector of all — especially children.

Pool usually gives out prizes at the events, thanks to generous donations from the group’s sponsors. 

The first Thor’s Sanctuary event was a Super Smash Bros. tournament, where Pool gave out a $50 gift card from local eatery Stuff A Bagel.

The events hosted by the group always are free.

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“If I leave this world, I want to know that I didn’t charge people to have fun and enjoy life,” Pool said. “Fun should be free. I want to leave this world in a better place and in a better situation than when I entered it. This world has enough hate and nonsense, and I don’t want to contribute to that. No one should feel like they have to hide who they are and not feel safe. I think if more people looked at the world like this, then it would make a bigger difference. The little things do make a big difference to somebody.”

Eric Marquardt was among the beneficiaries of Thor’s Sanctuary. He was a member of the group who died this year, and the group held a memorial service with his parents and had the opportunity to meet his friends.

“He still enjoyed life, and I’m so glad we got to be a part of that,” Pool said. “For me, it’s about the moments. Creating memories for people that make a difference. People are going to remember the time you spent living, because time is more precious than anything materialistic on this earth.”

POOL’S PARTIES

Pool said he is appreciative of everyone that got on board with supporting the group, especially when first getting the organization off the ground.

Stephen Facella, owner of Playa Pizza, was one of the first sponsors for the group, along with Marissa Giambalvo, owner of Stuff A Bagel.

Stephen and his wife, Danielle, are members of the group and often bring their two children.

Danielle Facella said she heard about the group through a coworker, and it sounded interesting, so she decided to bring her family to check it out. 

“You never know if you like something new until you try it,” she said. “My (at the time) 8-year-old and 10-year-old enjoyed it, and they have attended several events since. They still like attending at their current ages of 10 and almost 12.”

Danielle Facella said the family looks forward to helping the group expand and getting the word out.

“These kinds of activities are great for both introverts and extroverts alike,” she said. “It helps people of all ages come out of their shells and meet people outside of their usual daily social circles. Kids are naturally drawn to screens. Thor’s Sanctuary allows them to enjoy video games that aren’t moving so fast it makes you dizzy, while getting structured face-to-face in-person communication with their peers.”

Christian Buckingham, owner of Timewarp Tattoo, another group sponsor, learned about Thor’s Sanctuary about a year ago when he first met Pool. 

“He came into the shop to ask if we would be willing to put one of his flyers up promoting an event,” Buckingham said. “We are a retro-themed shop focusing on collectibles and pop culture. We immediately knew he was a good soul and did what we could to help get the word out.”

Since then, Pool has become a valued friend of the shop and often helps with events.

“We consider him part of the family,” Buckingham said. “We instantly wanted to be a part of what he’s trying to do, because we recognize the importance of creating a community of like minded people. Gaming and what we call ‘nerd culture’ mean so much to all of us. I believe that it inspires imagination, creativity and often provides a much needed in-person social environment for people’s lives. The ideals and values that Thor’s Sanctuary promotes are exactly in line with what Timewarp Tattoo has created, and we look at the organization as an extension of the community that we ourselves are trying to cultivate in the area.”

In the future, Pool would like the group to be an organization with a home location, such as a comic shop, that can host free events.