On Sunday, February 17, I was invited to Lagunitas in Chicago for a gaming event for charity. This was their second event for the Jack Vasel Memorial Fund. In April of 2011 the Memorial Fund was started in the memory of Tom Vasel’s son Jack. If you’re a fan of tabletop gaming and the Dice Tower Network, you may have heard of Tom. During his time of need the board game community came together to help support him. He hopes this Fund will help collect and provide financial assistance to members of the public who are part of the gaming community who have suffered similar personal hardship.
Lagunitas Brewing Company hosted the event in their Chicago taproom. The event included tours, drinks and gaming. Proceeds from the drink sales were donated to the Jack Vasel Memorial Fund. Adam Schurlknight ran the event and hopes to make it happen more regularly. He is aiming to host an event every two months or so at Lagunitas. Chicagoland companies like myself were there showcasing Nut Stash, Cards Against Humanities, Too Many Poops and other games.
Nut Stash became a hit with its quick play time, easy to learn rules and interesting illustrations. I received compliments from teachers saying their students would love a game like this. As well as a special needs adult caregiver who said this would make for a great game at her work. The game even worked with the more intoxicated play testers claiming there are few games on the market that work when you’re drunk that isn’t a drinking game. I received many laughs, smiles and compliments for the game.
Currently, I volunteer for the Neurofibromatosis Network a Non-profit who supports people with NF1, NF2 and Schwannomatosis doing graphic design and social media. I have spent most of my adult life working for non-profits and volunteering. Being able to give back to the gaming community by demoing my game will remain one of my fondest memories. We had a good turn out and I am excited to say I was invited back for Lagunitas’ for their next fundraising event. Hopefully I’ll see you there!
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