Into the realm of geekdom!

Fair Trade: A game of competetive coffee cartels is now an official listing on BoardGameGeek.com! Go check it out, and if you are a BGG user... let's hear some chatter!

All systems are GO!

So we've been plugging away at our first project. You've seen the pictures (here), you'be heard the hype (here), and now you can get your own copy of Fair Trade: a game of competitive coffee cartels HERE!

You can reserve a copy, buy one at full price (helping is even more), or just donate money to help us fulfill our mission. So please consider visiting http://www.sunministries.org/I55.html and changing St. Louis for the better.

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

The Birth of a New Era

I don't wish to unload a ton of stuff on you in my first official post of I-55 Games. This post may be long, but it is VERY important. I would ask you all to please lead your friends here, so they might get a glimpse of our vision. The vision of I-55 Games is to train, nurture, empower, and release the disadvantaged as a socially responsible board and card game publisher. One of my passions is board and card games. My main passion is lifting people out of disparity. I was inspired by the president of Indie Boards and Cards, to use these passions together to bring about change in the lives of others. He donates $1 for every game he sells to Heifer International. His vision got me thinking about what else could be done with games. I love games not only for their entertainment value, but their ability to teach us and enrich relationships. I even use them to teach and build relationships with children in the inner city of St. Louis through Sun Ministries. I believe poverty in America is a "folie a deux". It is started by the shortcomings of the "have not's", and then propagated by "the haves". I do not believe it is beneficial to take sides in this situation. I also do not believe it is acceptable for us to stand idly by as our neighbors are prevented from reaching their full potential. Education, leadership, character, and faith are all that is needed to create a better us, and in turn a better world. The responsibility and privilege rests on all of us to administer these things as a community. The mission of I-55 Games is to lead the disadvantaged through incremental steps of success, to ultimate victory over their current situation. We will train our employees in basic work responsibilities (Timeliness, Organization, Effort, ect…). Once these basic tenants are in place we will nurture the employee’s goals and passions through vocational counseling and intermediate and advanced skills training. We will then empower the employee in these goals and passions by facilitating more successes in their newly learned skills. When an employee has reached their peak, I-55 Games will facilitate the release of the employee into an entrepreneurial work, or a better job position with a reputable company. I am a firm believer that "if you teach one to fish" he is better off because of it. If we all took the time to mentor people with less success than us, we would see a marked difference in the way our world works. Children need time and care invested into them in order to reach their potential, and resist drugs and crime. The man that was just released from jail and wants a second start, needs to be taught not only that it is ok to fail, but HOW to fail gracefully. So we aim to offer these resources to our community, and to do so with these goals in mind:

I-55 Games has as it’s goal to:

Create, publish, and distribute games that allow players to:

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  Exercise their minds and creativity

  
  
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  Positively interact with other people

  
  
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  Have a full and re-playable experience with just one purchase

  
  
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  Facilitate enjoyable learning experiences

Be a socially responsible company that:

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  Pays fair and livable wages for the work it provides

  
  
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  Invests in the inherent talents and strengths of it’s employees

  
  
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  Helps it’s employees attain their goals to the best of their abilities

  
  
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  Works with the community to incubate other opportunities and benefits

Exemplify good character and citizenship by:

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  Dealing honestly with all partners, employees, and customers

  
  
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  Dealing only with printers, manufacturers, and artists that share the same goals and values

  
  
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  Operating debt free

  
  
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  Sacrificing in favor of the needs of the employees and community when necessary.

So please keep your eye on us. More on our first product coming soon!