Keep the Genie in the bottle

In spite of issues with posting the video we made from the St. Louis Earth Day Festival, I will still be posting.  I am sorry to all who heeded my false alarms of the video being posted.  I will get it up for viewing as soon as possible.

As you may know already, we are a not for profit organization that provides education via board and card games.  As soon as we are able to we will also offer workplace re-entry training.  As a not for profit we work mainly off of the generous donations from those who share our vision and values.  The rest we hope to make up with product sales.  This will allow us to provide accurate workplace training.  Teaching our employees how to keep up with and thrive in a fast paced and competitive market.  Many who follow us are avid activists in the areas of social justice and workplace equality, as well as educational reform and availability. 

I myself, have many convictions.  I am a firm believer that we have been tasked with the conservation of our earth.  I believe it is our responsibility as a society to do our best to make sure that our neighbor reaches their full potential in life.  I also believe that we as communities, have the responsibility of training parents to be the primary providers of education to their children.  Many of you have even heard me rant about my desire for church reformation.  However, at the end of the day, I feel that we as a people treat activism like a genie in a bottle. 

Some people use activism as a way to determine identity.  Others desperately wish it would change their concerns.  We hold on to it and make a vow that we will not be quiet until the issue is resolved.  We expect it to be a genie that we can ask wishes of to come true.  In my short time on this earth I have yet to see this approach work.  So I say, keep the genie in the bottle.  We must find our convictions and act on them.

This is why I started I-55 Games.  This is why our first three games will me manufactured out of mostly re-purposed material.  This is why we will act as a not for profit, allowing us to put people over profits. 

So here are four ways you can join us in our vision.  Two that require direct involvement on your part, and two that don't:

1)  volunteer at one of our community game nights.  We will be hosting community game nights in which we will not only showcase our games, but our volunteers will play these games with families, and teach them a short lesson plan based around the game they are playing.  Have you ever thought of using spades to teach probability?  Monopoly to teach money management?  Pandemic to teach about cumulative principles and health concerns?  This might be a good fit for you.  Please contact me if this interests you.

2)  You can donate to us.  Money is very useful, but we also need in kind donations such as wooden cubes, dice, boxes, printing services, web design, ect...  do you have extra resources you can give?  If so please contact me.

3)  You can help spread the word!  In these hard times resources are few.  However, people are becoming closer every day.  You can use your contacts with others to help bring in the other things on this list.  We don't have money at the moment to advertise, but you can be our advertising firm.

4)  You can purchase one or more of our products.  This is a great option, because you gain something you can share and enjoy with your friends and family.  Thus spreading the word as well as supporting us financially.  To order a product, contact me with the information below.

As you can see the options are quite simple, yet the possibilities for changing our world for the better are vast.  Just imagine a world where people do not struggle for money because of past mistakes, further encouraging them to get deeper into trouble.  A world where parents develop a real bond with their children, where they are excited about the children's progress, and where they encourage and empower eachother to find and pursue their passions.  This is possible.  However, we must keep the genie in the bottle and grant the wishes ourselves.

Anthony Goodwin

636-544-2554
AnthonyGoodwin@gmail.com