FITCHBURG — Halloween may be long over but that’s of no matter to city resident Brie Ray, who brings her “Ghostbusters”-themed vehicle to events all over New England to raise money for charity.
The 40-year-old said when the “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” movie came out in 2021, it “reinspired” her love of the popular pop culture franchise. After one of her work friends told her they saw a “Ghostbusters” vehicle at the St. Patrick’s Day parade in Boston, Ray did some research and came across the Massachusetts Ghostbusters group on social media.
“I followed them for about a year or so before I decided to reach out and inquire about applying to join,” Ray relayed.
This was back in 2023 and at the time the Gardner native had a white Jeep she told the group that she would like to turn into an Ectomobile of “Ghostbusters” fame.
“One of the members had the topper that is currently on my Jeep and said, ‘I’m not using this anymore would you like to use it for your car?’ and I said ‘Absolutely!’” Ray divulged. “He got his hands on it because he was actually an extra in the 2016 girls ‘Ghostbusters’ movie as the paramedic. He had it on his car for a while but then he became a dad and could no longer use it, so I inherited it. I’ve added the little extra details like the red accents, the stickers, and any other little trinkets that are seen.”
The Massachusetts Ghostbusters recently became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and are part of the Ghostbusters Give Back program with Sony Pictures. To date they have raised over $60,000 for various charities, an out of this world number.
“We work with Project Purple, which raises money for pancreatic cancer, but we work with other groups to raise money for all different charities,” Ray shared. “I use my car in parades and sometimes outside comic cons if the space allows for it, and where I use it as my everyday car it gets the word out about what we do for work.”
There are two QR codes on her “Ghostbusters” vehicle people can scan that will take them to the Massachusetts Ghostbusters website — maghostbusters.com — which explains their mission and what they do and why. The motto of the group is “Busting For Charity Makes Us Feel Good!” and they currently have an online auction happening on their website through Nov. 20, with four fantastic “Ghostbusters” collectibles up for grabs.
Ray said their main source of raising money is participating in comic cons throughout the region and New England.
“Our president Dave [Silva] is an amazing set designer along with his wife Steph [Kernzie] and they designed a huge firehouse that we can use at comic cons for people to take pictures in front of,” she said. We also have an awesome slime lab for kiddos, and we allow people to wear our proton packs in front of the firehouse for cool photos.”
The Gardner High School and Mount Wachusett Community College graduate went on to say they have a new parade float designed by Dave and Steph and “lots of cool merchandise” they sell along with raffle prizes, an Etsy store, and people can follow them on all social media platforms.
“We have so many amazing and talented people in our group. We all bring something that makes this group come together and do amazing things,” Ray noted.
She herself was diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer this past spring and had surgery in August to remove half her thyroid and bridge.
“As of right now, I’m cancer free,” Ray happily reported. “Let’s hope it stays that way!”
This came on the heels of losing her husband Greg to suicide in January 2025.
“He was also such a huge part of our group because he was normally a very quiet person and not really sociable, but when he joined the group after me he became so open and happy,” Ray said of being part of Massachusetts Ghostbusters together. “He helped with building sets and worked so well with kids and anyone. Everyone saw how good this group was for him.”
She conveyed that Massachusetts Ghostbusters “has been absolutely amazing for me and for his memory.” The members had pins made in honor of Greg when they found out what happened and Ray said she has plenty of them and is happy to share.
“The entire group just swarmed and supported me, and they still do,” she said. “This is literally my Ghostbusters family.”
Ray and her vehicle were at some of the Friday evening cruise nights at Kimball Farm in Lancaster this summer. When asked what the response from people is when they see her “Ghostbusters”-themed ride, she said “absolutely amazing.”
“Everyone loves seeing ‘Ghostbusters’ and especially when they see my car and find out that we do this for charity, it’s even more exciting,” Ray said. “Kids of all ages love ‘Ghostbusters’ and the fact that I can be a 40-year-old kid in a ‘Ghostbusters’ jumpsuit and raise money for cancer or for whatever charity we are working with at that time is amazing and it definitely touches peoples’ hearts. They always say what a fun way to raise money.”
Traveling back and forth to work as the lead technologist in microbiology at Quest Diagnostics certainly grabs a lot of attention.
“The funny thing is I’m now known as the ‘Ghostbuster’ in microbiology,” Ray said with a laugh. “People always get a kick out of it when I’m at work, and even when I’m around town doing errands or going to different appointments.”
She has brough it to various comic cons and parked it outside the arenas, which always draws a crowd.
“People love taking pictures of it and with it as well,” Ray said. “I’ve even had cops in town and state troopers on the highway almost flag me down or wave at me and give me a thumbs up when they see my car.”
She went on to say she and her fellow Massachusetts Ghostbusters members are grateful for every single donation made via their website and they welcome people to come see them at events they are at. Their most recent appearance was at the Rhode Island Comic Con earlier this month and they are returning to Taunton for the city’s annual Christmas parade on Sunday, Dec. 6.
Ray and the entire “Ghostbusters” crew remain committed to giving back and have no plans to slow down when it comes to turning fandom into philanthropy.
“We are always fundraising one way or the other.”
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