Hi, was going to put this in the GfH section, but as I'm not a member, I can't.  I've looked through most of the relevant posts in the forums, checked out the official website, and what I'm still wondering about is this: will GfH be supporting causes other than those related to Habitat for Humanity?  On the main page of the GfH site, it says:

"Gamers For Humanity is a not-for-profit organization, founded for the purpose of giving gamers a chance to organize for charitable activities and fellowship."

I assume this is sort of a mission statement.  And its a cool one.  Under 'About Us' the focus seems to be more habitat-related:

"Gamers For Humanity is a way for us to help other people who aren't so lucky. If you don't have a home of your own, if you're displaced from your city and job...well, games--fun and enjoyment--become a pretty low priority."

Is it possible for members of GfH/the group itself to help out other worthy charities or causes?  And what are the guidelines for this? 

Thank you. 

I would say that it is very much able to get involved with any number of organizations or activities. For a launching point, Habitat for Humanity makes a great start. It is well recognized and has a huge area it covers. By no means is GfH limited to HfH. This is especially evident since the first project was actually with (Phoenix?), a similar organization, but not under the Habitat for Humanity blanket.

If you have any ideas, please, please send them to Tom, post them here or contact any of us and we can pass them around. (Hopefully that made some sense... I should not read forums while tired.)

Yep, and in addition to helping the Phoenix of New Orleans in rehabilitating some homes, Gamers also donated items to on the New Orleans' Boys & Girls Clubs as well as books to one of the stricken libraries. And in August, Gamers will be working with Habitat for Humanity on a home in Indianapolis!

Like AT said, Tom's the man spearheading this humanitarian effort. I'm sure he'll be chiming in on this thread.

How would one join if one was inclined to do so? Also in what other ways can we help if unable to go to these places?

atstepchild:

If you have any ideas, please, please send them to Tom, post them here or contact any of us and we can pass them around.

(which was VERY cool, btw)

1. Have Gamers For Humanity work with GenCon to make Event Recycling available at this year's show.
   
2. Find sponsors such as AvatarArt who would donate a penny for every can & plastic bottle that is recycled instead of landfilled.
3. Donate the proceeds back to the charity 'Keep Indianapolis Beautiful' with the goal of planting 10 trees in the city.
   
4. Repeat ever year.
   

deathstarjanitor:

How would one join if one was inclined to do so? Also in what other ways can we help if unable to go to these places?

Feel Free to donate Games money or anything you may think will help when one of our 'events' is going down!

When we do the indy one you can show up to gencon on tuesday  and help out, or you can volunteer time at the booth! 

Thanks for the info i may just do that!

Here is a question that the mods might have to chime in on...

Say we have a collection at the booth for games / books / cash / etc for the same purposes we did at New Orleans. Is this permitted based on any conditions set by GenCon? I am going to assume yes, but don't want to overstep. I would love to see other vendors donate SWAG, games, etc to the charity and think we can get a huge outpouring from the other attendees. We are a strange lot, sure, but I think the majority of gamers are very giving as well and have huge hearts. Even if only a small portion of the attendees dropped something off, it would add up quickly. Maybe, building on AvatarArt's idea, we could have a SWAG recycling box set up. Let's face it, not all of us used some / all / most of the the SWAG bag filler and other SWAG picked up throughout the dealer's hall. This could go into some collection boxes as well to be added to the items given away. We will, of course, have to sift through these boxes and throw away (or recycle) some of the non-usables and general debris which will likely end up there.

 It would be great to have a ton o' games to give away to charities, schools, libraries, etc in the area which could use them.

atstepchild:

Here is a question that the mods might have to chime in on...

Say we have a collection at the booth for games / books / cash / etc for the same purposes we did at New Orleans. Is this permitted based on any conditions set by GenCon? I am going to assume yes, but don't want to overstep. I would love to see other vendors donate SWAG, games, etc to the charity and think we can get a huge outpouring from the other attendees. We are a strange lot, sure, but I think the majority of gamers are very giving as well and have huge hearts. Even if only a small portion of the attendees dropped something off, it would add up quickly. Maybe, building on AvatarArt's idea, we could have a SWAG recycling box set up. Let's face it, not all of us used some / all / most of the the SWAG bag filler and other SWAG picked up throughout the dealer's hall. This could go into some collection boxes as well to be added to the items given away. We will, of course, have to sift through these boxes and throw away (or recycle) some of the non-usables and general debris which will likely end up there.

 It would be great to have a ton o' games to give away to charities, schools, libraries, etc in the area which could use them.

I wanna Bump this because I think it is a very good question/idea.

I already have a box forming of games for the next 'cause'. 

I'm already starting to stock up on books for the next excursion. Found 22 books by VC Andrews, probably half of them hardbacks, almost all of them in beautiful condition - fifty cents each at a rummage sale.

Gotta love those things <g>

atstepchild:

Here is a question that the mods might have to chime in on...

Say we have a collection at the booth for games / books / cash / etc for the same purposes we did at New Orleans. Is this permitted based on any conditions set by GenCon? I am going to assume yes, but don't want to overstep. I would love to see other vendors donate SWAG, games, etc to the charity and think we can get a huge outpouring from the other attendees. We are a strange lot, sure, but I think the majority of gamers are very giving as well and have huge hearts. Even if only a small portion of the attendees dropped something off, it would add up quickly. Maybe, building on AvatarArt's idea, we could have a SWAG recycling box set up. Let's face it, not all of us used some / all / most of the the SWAG bag filler and other SWAG picked up throughout the dealer's hall. This could go into some collection boxes as well to be added to the items given away. We will, of course, have to sift through these boxes and throw away (or recycle) some of the non-usables and general debris which will likely end up there.

 It would be great to have a ton o' games to give away to charities, schools, libraries, etc in the area which could use them.

 This is already in the works. Sorry I haven't been online a lot. We have talked to Gen Con and have approval to do a Games Drive during Gen Con, providing we can provide space to store the games during the event.  We feel like there potential for a HUGE response. I have volunteered to transport the games to my home in the evenings, but depending on the response that might not be enough. We might have to empty the donation box several times a day, and if that's the cause, we might need a temporary storage. I have a contact I need to call and see if he might loan us space in his storeroom (won't mention names since I haven't called him, but he's a Great support of GC and we all love his place ).

As for after GC, the plan is for the games to be taken to possibly several children hospitals, Boys & Girls Club, etc around the Indy area.  I have contacted the Peyton Manning Children's Hospital already. They and Riley Children's Hospital (via the website) will take only unopened games, due to germs and such. The Boys & Girls Clubs will take anything that has all the pieces, perferrably packaged so the pieces won't be lost in transport.

I'm not checking the boards much as this is a busy time in the semester, but feel free to PM or email me for more information and questions.  Suggestions of places to take the items or solutions to the possible storage issues are always welcomed. 

atstepchild:

Maybe, building on AvatarArt's idea, we could have a SWAG recycling box set up. Let's face it, not all of us used some / all / most of the the SWAG bag filler and other SWAG picked up throughout the dealer's hall. This could go into some collection boxes as well to be added to the items given away. We will, of course, have to sift through these boxes and throw away (or recycle) some of the non-usables and general debris which will likely end up there.

 It would be great to have a ton o' games to give away to charities, schools, libraries, etc in the area which could use them.

-Steve G. 

Hi guys. Sorry I've been absent. Two classes running right now, grading and grading and grading.

Some nearly random comments:

1) Joining GforH is a simple matter of helping out in some tangible way. Coming along for one of our projects, volunteering at the booth, providing artwork when we need it, donating large sums of money , etc.

2) Game drive: as TygerLily has said, we're organizing a collection at the booth this year, games to be distributed to an as-yet unknown charitable organization. So anyone wanting to help organize that is more than welcome. Off the top of my head, we currently need brainstorming and help with the following aspects: a) we need someone to donate the collected games to, and b) we need to find a place and plan for *storage* of the games we collect until they can be donated. (I have fears of a booth overflowing with boxes of games, and the lovely Chainmaille Wench, who we are sharing a booth with, getting upset at us because no one can fit into the booth to buy her stuff.) As I have been told, we could *rent* space from the Con Center for storage, but that costs money, money we don't have (and money I'd rather put towards our planned work day if we had it).

3) Recycling: this is a good idea, but I'm worried that we have a lot on our plate for this year already. I have BYOV still to play my part in, and the booth and game drive, and trying to put together a day to work with Habitat-Indy before the show. Granted that the other BYOVers are playing their parts, and TygerLily has been FABULOUS as our booth coordinator. But I still feel like my plate is pretty full for Gen Con. That's not a "no we won't do it", just a "wow, I'm not sure at the moment how to coordinate all of this already much less a recycling program" :)  However...I'm willing to listen if someone wants to join up with us and spearhead a recycling project. But, see below.

4) What do we do? The idea for GforH hit me last June, after working with Habitat in New Orleans. It was a very rewarding and needed bit of work, and it occurred to me that I knew this untapped source of really intelligent, cool people who might want to do some work too. That's how it started. So, the general aim has been towards 'Habitat-like' projects, with a plan for a yearly trip to New Orleans as central to our plans. I've already started looking into dates and housing for next March/April in New Orleans.

But, there are a lot of other things we can certainly do, with our titular focus on directly assisting people in need. As ND mentioned, books were donated to a library (we at least tripled their science fiction section :) and games were donated to a Boys & Girls Club. Because the focus has been on directly impacting the lives of people in need, projects like recycling haven't played a role...yet. Recycling is necessary for continuing a decent way of life in the world, I'm convinced about that. But so far we've been more focused on things like house building, donating goods, and the like.

Again, I'm not saying that recycling can't be done at Gen Con, just that with everything else planned, it isn't going to be central, I don't think. At least, I don't have much time I can put towards it personally.

Does that sound reasonable?

Tom:

we need to find a place and plan for *storage* of the games we collect until they can be donated. (I have fears of a booth overflowing with boxes of games, and the lovely Chainmaille Wench, who we are sharing a booth with, getting upset at us because no one can fit into the booth to buy her stuff.)

*Sigh*

Lesimony:

*Starts re-planning booth layout, again, to make room for large "Game Donation Box"*

*Sigh*

 

I think we will get a great amount of game donations, is there anywhere we could possibly store the 'donations' if we get over run? Maybe if we log what we recieve as we go along we can just store them in someones hotel room? just a thought. I know I have several game donations piling up already for the group.

As for the idea of possible Recycling: Indy has several drop of locations, I have been able to find a group, they help at local events so we could shoot them an email to possible do a 'pick up' at Gencon OR we can find a nice local forumite or Atendee we would have to figure out how to get the Recyclables to the drop off location.

My other thought is that someone brought up that Gen Con themselves has done recycling perhaps we can email them directly and see if they either plan on doing this again or would be willing to help, Since they already are sponsoring GfH I can't see why they wouldn't consider it!

Actually, in 2003, Looney Labs sponsored recycling at Gen Con.  In fact they put up a website about it:

 http://www.wunderland.com/LooneyLabs/gencon/2003/recycling.html

I didn't notice whether they are going to Gen Con this year, but they are going to Origins; regardless, they are very pro-recycling, and if you have any questions after reading their website, I'm sure you could email them, and they can help you (if they recall, it's been 5 years. :) )

marimacc:

Actually, in 2003, Looney Labs sponsored recycling at Gen Con.  In fact they put up a website about it:

 

 http://www.wunderland.com/LooneyLabs/gencon/2003/recycling.html

 

I didn't notice whether they are going to Gen Con this year, but they are going to Origins; regardless, they are very pro-recycling, and if you have any questions after reading their website, I'm sure you could email them, and they can help you (if they recall, it's been 5 years. :) )

 

Thanks Mari! I knew I heard something about recycling being done at GC before. pshh 5 years? Im sure if they are so pro-recycling they should be on board!

Maybe if we log what we recieve as we go along we can just store them in someones hotel room?

I think we should log what we receive. We should also give the donor some sort of receipt. I realize we aren't an 'official' charity as such, yet, but we might become one(what do you have to do for that?), and also, the receipts usually have a carbon copy thing so we have a record of who donated, and what was donated.

The only trouble with the hotel room is lugging them back and forth. But what is Tom planning on doing? Does he have a large van to carry 'em that we could lug them to, and store 'em there, or? How is he planning on moving them after the con?

I've also noticed, from just watching the donation bins for charities, that people are MORE likely to contribute if they see someone else has. People are more likely to put change in the half-full bucket then they are the empty or full one, so we really do want to always have 'some' donations visible, but not be overflowing. Overflowing means we 'have plenty already'.

Just my few cents worth!

Also, since it's BOUND to come up, what if someone wants to make a cash donation? We'd need not only a receipt, but somewhere to store it. Same with checks.

braewe:

I think we should log what we receive. We should also give the donor some sort of receipt. I realize we aren't an 'official' charity as such, yet, but we might become one(what do you have to do for that?), and also, the receipts usually have a carbon copy thing so we have a record of who donated, and what was donated.

The only trouble with the hotel room is lugging them back and forth. But what is Tom planning on doing? Does he have a large van to carry 'em that we could lug them to, and store 'em there, or? How is he planning on moving them after the con?

I've also noticed, from just watching the donation bins for charities, that people are MORE likely to contribute if they see someone else has. People are more likely to put change in the half-full bucket then they are the empty or full one, so we really do want to always have 'some' donations visible, but not be overflowing. Overflowing means we 'have plenty already'.

Just my few cents worth!

Also, since it's BOUND to come up, what if someone wants to make a cash donation? We'd need not only a receipt, but somewhere to store it. Same with checks.

Receipts are a great idea, I was going to suggest it but as you said since its not an 'offical' charity just yet not sure what good it would do. However I think it is a good idea if people plan on doing cash donations, im sure Tom has considered this and it will be on the 'list' of things for those of us helping at the booth. We can just easily buy Carbon Copy reciepts at staples, I wouldn't mind putting out in money for that at all. My thinking was that it would be better in a 'hotel' room then in a car or van because of the possibility of being seen and stolen.  I also agree with you on keeping some donations visible for people to see. Again, money wise..someone could buy one of those cash boxes at staples or office depot but that would be more costly.

 I don't know what is planned for the booth as far as 'signs' or 'buttons' but perhaps we can go along with the idea of recycling and avoid things like flyers? just make buttons perhaps. I know for sure we cannot give out stickers per gencons policy. Just thoughts. Im sure closer to con our questions will be answered. But I am very much looking foward to it!