Above and Beyond: SCV’s Own Spider-Man and His Team
After a longtime career in law enforcement, Jiten Pandya knew that he needed to dedicate his time and efforts into continuing to serve his community. Inspired by his own love of superheroes, his impressive collection of comics, and his passion for spreading smiles, Jiten realized he was destined for great things – all neatly packed for him in the signature Spider-Man costume.
Jiten served as a police officer in the Pasadena Police Department, working as a school resource officer where he was able to spend time with and form connections with the children he met on a daily basis. Before he was a police officer, though, he was a man from London looking to pursue a career that would allow him to inspire and serve others.
“I spent a lot of one on one time with the children at the school and I wanted to show them that I still care and am just another normal human being, even with the uniform on,” he says.
Jiten himself has been a longtime Spider-Man fan; when he was 10, he first started collecting comics and watching Spider-Man cartoons every chance he got. His own personality matches up pretty well with Spider-Man’s, too – he’s goofy, funny, silly, kind, and caring in all the same ways Peter Parker is.
After retiring, Jiten’s love for Spider-Man motivated him to pick up the famous spidey-suit for himself and see just how impactful a superhero he could be (even without all the powers and web-shooting skills).
Motivated by his wife, Lindsay (who also doubles as Wonder Woman), Jiten decided to become SCV’s own Spider-Man. His days of running around the house in his Spider-Man costume alongside his son (aka Superman) were up; it was time to put his suit to use and spread cheer and smiles throughout the community he loved so dearly.
Today, Jiten, Lindsay, and Jiten’s son Noah work together to uplift and brighten up the lives of SCV’s superhero fans. They split their time between visiting hospitals and schools, as well as assisting other nonprofits in their shared mission of improving the lives of others.
They also offer private visits to bring a little cheer into the lives of kids who need it most. Whether it’s a hospital stay, a difficult week or just hard times that’s got you down, they’re ready to swoop in and save the day.
“The best part of what we do is seeing the reaction from the children we meet,” he says. “The joy, the smiles, seeing how inspired they are – it’s amazing.”
They operate as a nonprofit, which means their only payment is the kind words from parents and the huge smiles on their kids’ faces when they see the superhero trio for themselves.
For more information, you can find Jiten and his team on Instagram at @superheroesvisit. They also have a website, http://superherosvisit.net and can be found on Twitter as well at @SuperHeroVisit.
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