It's been quite some time before we did an actual, honest to goodness blog post on our website, but as we wrap Extra Life 2024, we thought it'd be a great opportunity to write an extended and heartfelt thank you to all of you who spent the day with us, helping to earn money for Children's Healthcare of Atlanta.
Thank You!
Thank you, all of you, for supporting our Extra Life event. It's so wonderful to see so many people, from so many different walks of life, come together in what has become a yearly tradition at the shoppe. We had friends from the Gwinnett Boardgame Society camp out for an all-nighter, and then rejoin us later on Saturday after some much needed rest. Our Yu-Gi-Oh friends encouraged us to host a midnight tournament and brought food and friends to help kick off the night. Many of our miniatures players camped out a painting and hobby table, spending the entirety of the marathon working on their modeling projects.
Several couples joined us for nearly the entire night – playing board games and catching a quick nap now and then, and groups of friends – some new to the event this year – sponsored tables and hung out with us throughout the event.
And, of course, our Venture Crew 20 was on hand the entire night, managing the in-shoppe cash donations and making sure their members were counted each and every hour of the event.
It really was a community-wide effort, and we appreciate everyone who sponsored tables, donated to our team page, and kept us company throughout the event. You're all so awesome and we appreciate you so much.
2024 in Review
This year we managed to help earn just over $3,900.00 for our local Children's Hospitals. We were helped with a combination of Table sponsorships, in-store, and online donations, but the heart of our event is our 24-hour in-shoppe marathon, where folks play games from midnight to midnight to increase our hourly contributions.
How'd it Work?
For those who haven't attended, the set up is pretty simple. At midnight on Friday night, we count everyone who is in the shoppe. This include all our Crew, guests playing games, folks who happen to be hanging out at that moment and even the ocassional pet (because why not?).
This year, at midnight when we started, we had 73 guests in attendance, plus three of our team members, for a total of 76 participants. And so, for that hour, we committed to donate $76.00 to Extra Life through our donation page.
Throughout the 24 hours, folks came and went. Some, including members of our Venture Crew 20, stayed the full 24 hours – sleeping under tables during the wee hours of the night to make sure they were counted. We averaged right around 50 people every hour, and wrapped the night on Saturday night at midnight with 22 guests and two of our Crew still in attendance.
What Else Goes On?
This year, we kept things pretty chill. We had a couple of scheduled events – a Heroscape Day, a Star Wars: Unlimited Prerelease, and our regularly scheduled Yu-Gi-Oh night, but for the most part, folks just played games and had fun.
As is tradition, we placed mason jars at many of the tables so guests could donate cash when they felt inspired, Some folks used those jars to create additonal rules or boons for the games they were playing, but it was all very low pressure, and meant to increase the fun of the night.
This year we also introduced a small silent auction for one of our three Magic: The Gathering 30th Anniversary Edition Displays.
Results over the Years
As mentioned above, our guests helped us earn over $3900.00 for our local Children's Hospitals this year. Since we first launched our marathon 10 years ago, our guests have helped us raise over $16,000.00 for Extra Life.
What's Next?
While friends of the shoppe can continue to donate using our Team page, we're already planning for what 2025's Extra Life event will look like. At it's core will be our 24 hour marathon, of course, but we're looking for more ways to bring people into the event, drive awareness for the work Extra Lilfe is doing, and generally find ways to have more fun raising money for a wonderful charity.
Got an idea for next years event? Please let us know – we always love to hear your feedback.