Topper Tats scours our campus to bring you the stories behind the most creative, the most meaningful and the most what-was-I-thinking tattoos inked on our students.

In light of the recent Central Texas wildfires, dozens of grassroots fundraising and disaster relief efforts have sprouted up in the Austin area. These fundraisers typically consist of canned food or cash donations. However, Austin-based Sideshow Tattoo is contributing to the effort in a rather unique way.

Sideshow is offering small tattoos outlining the state of Texas and donating 100 percent of the proceeds to wildfire relief efforts.

“It’s a $60 minimum donation,” Sideshow Tattoo Artist Drew Cottom said. “It’s the outline of Texas any size you want, as long as it’s not too out.”

Several St. Edward’s University students were drawn to this idea of marking their bodies for a good cause.  For senior Jake Droutsas, it was the opportunity he had been waiting for.

“I had been considering getting it for a while, but wasn’t quite prepared,” Droutsas said about the Texas outline on the underside of his arm.  “I thought, I’m doing a good thing for people that I was considering doing anyway. I might as well do it now and feel better about that.”

Although this particular fundraiser ends at the end of September, Sideshow will be having another wildfire relief fundraiser in the form of a Carnivale on Oct. 16.

“There will be a wheel of chance booth,” Cottom explained. “You pay $5 to spin the wheel and win a prize.  Whatever we get from the booth, [Sideshow Tattoo] will out.”