CLEVELAND, Ohio -- For 75 years, Superman has defeated alien invaders, rescued kittens from trees and performed other monumental tasks.

Now the Siegel and Shuster Society, created to honor Superman and his creators, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, will follow that example by using money from the sale of Superman license plates to help Clevelanders in need.

The society also wants to join with colleges and art schools in offering writing and art scholarships in Siegel's and Shuster's names.

The state of Ohio began selling special license plates bearing the famous Superman insignia and the legend, "Truth, Justice and the American Way," on Oct. 7. A $10 portion of the plate fee goes to the Siegel and Shuster Society.

As of mid-December, some 1,857 plates were sold, which means a financial boon of $18,570 to the society, according to Siegel and Shuster Society President Michael Olzsewski.

And there's more to come.

Ohio State Representative Bill Patmon holds a prototype of the Superman license plate.

The society plans to open itself up so the public can now join.

Run solely by volunteers, the society historically has little ready cash. At one board of trustees meeting, Olzsewski suggested passing the hat around the table to pay for some minor printing expense.

Suddenly, the non-profit charitable organization is faced with the pleasant task of figuring out what to do with the extra money. The solution was clear: What would Superman do? Or, more accurately, what would Siegel and Shuster do?

"Jerry and Joe would want us to help people, so that's what we're going to do with almost all of the money coming in from the plates," said founding society member Irving Fine, the cousin of the late Jerry Siegel. "We're going to give it to worthy causes here in Cleveland."

Fine said he would also like to see a sample of the Superman plate on display in all the Bureau of Motor Vehicle license bureaus. He was told that was a decision of each bureau.

"It would help a lot if people could see the plate as they sign up. Otherwise we are relying on them to remember the plate is available and ask for it," Fine said.

The society will also change its name to the Siegel and Shuster Foundation to reflect its new mission.

"We are affiliated with the Cleveland Foundation, so it would be very easy to donate money to charities like the Salvation Army and the food bank, which is what we will do," Fine said. "The legacy of Jerry and Joe could be connected with the community where Superman was created."

But they also plan to do something more, something that Siegel and Shuster would appreciate.

"We want to establish a fund with a college and an art school to give money to worthy writers and artists in the name of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster," Olszewski said. "The money would be used to train writers and artists in ways that Jerry and Joe could have never imagined."

Another founding society member offered a few suggestions about using the license plate funds.

Richard Pace said he liked the idea of donating money to good causes but noted that the first priority of the society is to maintain the house on Kimberly Avenue in Glenville where Jerry Siegel created Superman, the fence that surrounds the site of the home of Joe Shuster on Amor Avenue in Glenville and the Superman welcoming display at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport.

Fine said the Society also plans to broaden its base to include many people who want to be part of it.

"What we would like to do is offer a membership to anyone interested in joining," said Fine. "We would give out membership cards and have an annual meeting, a get-together dinner to talk about the activities of the society. Maybe we'll charge a $50 membership fee, which would pay for the dinner at the annual meeting. Any other money will go toward the charity work."

Olszewski said they want to look into using some money to create a Siegel and Shuster website and print up brochures.

"It's important to let people know that the society spends no money on staffing," said Fine. "And the same will go for the foundation. Everyone here is a volunteer."

The new name of the Siegel and Shuster Society will go into effect in early 2014, which is also a significant year.

"It's the 100th anniversary of the births of Jerry and Joe," said Olszewski. "I think they would be proud."

Anyone interested in communicating with the Siegel and Shuster Society can reach them by writing: Siegel and Shuster Society, the Baker Electric Building, 7100 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, Ohio, 44103.