MAGNACon 2010 Play Games and Do Good

Our first MagnaCon convention was very successful, exceeding our modest goals. Going into the weekend, our goals were simply to execute the event and raise $500 for our charities*. With a lot of hard work from our volunteers and generosity from the gaming community, we pulled off far more than that.

Online pass sales in advance of the weekend totaled $690.00, plus 1 online donation of $50. (Note: Standard Paypal fees were deducted from this (-$0.74 per pass, etc.). Silent auction sales totaled $503. Raffle ticket sales totaled $465. Concessions totaled approximately $285. Additional donations were made on site through overpayment of concessions, pass sales and raffle tickets.

The grand total of funds raised was $2,215.05. This money will be used to support a donation to the Food Bank of the Rockies and to support equipment improvements at the Whittier Community Center, specifically for additional community activities and heavily weighted toward those activities which support a new community outreach program that will focus on involving inner city kids in gaming. (More will come on that as the project evolves. Representatives are meeting with the Whittier Neighborhood Association starting Feburary, 10th to start planning. If you are interested in volunteering, stay tuned to the website for information or contact us at magnacondenver@gmail.com for details.)

Already, in preparation for MagnaCon several tables and several dozen chairs were purchased and donated to the Whittier Community Center. You can enjoy these every Monday night from 6PM until Midnight with the Central Denver Game Group @ the Whittier Community Center (2900 Downing Street, Denver). Attendance is free and has been booming so far. Many thanks to our generous volunteer Jeff Slaga, who also donated a table!

We saw approximately 120 MagnaCon attendees this year, which blew away our expectations! (Forty-six of those purchased advanced passes online.)

Dave Jones very generously donated his time and a portion of his proceeds as our sold vendor. $300 in product was donated by Time Well Spent games to the Whittier Community Center for the Gaming Outreach Project that will be designed and managed by MagnaCon volunteers beginning in March 2010. Those games are available every Monday night as well. You can find our ever growing game collection on BGG: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/collection/user/WhittierCommCenter

Funagain Games has provided with a grant of $100 for games as well!

Additional thanks to:

For auction and raffle prize donations...
Fred Distribution
GMT Games
Stonebridge Games (in Longmont, CO)
Haunted Game Cafe (in Fort Collins, CO)
Tablestar Games
Game Design Central/Keith Meyers (in Denver, CO)
Bill's Board Games (Denver, CO)
Out of the Box Games
Northstar Games
Gaming Hoopla (our fellow charity gaming convention friends in Wisconsin)
Eugene Ko

For all their hard work... many thanks to our great volunteer staff! Stay tuned for updates on MagnaCon 2011! And don't miss out on the Game Design Seminar March 6th or MiniMagna that evening.