The 2nd Annual “Games for Soliders” Game Drive

[Bumped to give an update at the bottom of this item]

In Fall 2006, I organized two game drives for U.S. soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, and thanks to donations from BGN readers, folks in my local game groups (6am Gamers and Unity Games) and a friendly gamestore owner, I was able to send $600 worth of games to units serving overseas.

U.S troops are still in the Middle East this year, so in honor of Veterans Day, it’s time to hold another Games for Soldiers drive. Until November 28th, all donations made to Boardgame News will go towards the Games for Soldiers fund. For anyone who becomes a BGN member or renews a membership, I’ll donate $10 from the $25 annual fee. You can also donate by mailing games or a check or money order to me at:

Boardgame News
PO Box 2841
Concord, NH 03301

To ensure that your mailed donation is counted in the order, please email me with your name and the amount you’re sending. You can also send donations to me directly through PayPal; the email address to use is wericmartin@gmail.com, and please mention “Games for Soldiers” in the subject line.

On November 30th, I’ll place an order with Myriad Games in Salem, NH, which has promised to match the game order with an additional 30% worth of games. (If the game order is $400, for example, Myriad Games will donate an additional $120 worth of games.) To find U.S. soldiers who want to play games, I’ll once again turn to AnySoldier.com.

If you’re part of a game group or meet at a store, I encourage you to pool your group’s resources and send off a gift package or two of your own. You can use the AnySoldier.com search function to look for anyone who has included “games” in his or her list of requested items. For each unit’s listing, you can see how long the unit will be overseas, how many times their address has been requested, and more. Small games seem best, so hold off on the Crokinole boards. Post a comment on this item of what you’ve sent so that others can get donation ideas.

Update Nov. 16: The Games for Soldiers drive has already collected more than $200. Someone on BoardGameGeek suggested donating to veteran hospitals, and you can find a hospital or vet center close to you by visiting the Dept. of Veterans Affairs website and clicking on your state. Put a Lost Cities in every city, and a Bohnanza by every bed…

Comments:

< Back Home