CREDIT: ERIKA FAUST
Hot off receiving their Community Innovation Award from Pillar Nonprofit Network, the Project Play team trekked out on a chilly Saturday to spread some joy to a community centre in need.

Despite the chilly late- November weather, the Project Play team was all smiles when they handed off a gaming bundle to N'Amerind Friendship Centre in London.

Project Play is a gaming celebration that takes place on Fanshawe's campus in late September. The money raised from the event is used to purchase video games, board games and gaming hardware, which is given to community organizations.

Started by local gamers Greg Picken and Mathew Hoy in 2012, Project Play has raised nearly $10,000 in the past two years. It was recently awarded a Community Innovation Award by Pillar Nonprofit Network. This year, the $4,000 raised by the event was leveraged into donations and discounts totalling close to $5,000 worth of games, which was donated to N'Amerind, Glen Cairn Community Resource Centre and North West London Community Resource Centre.

“This is the part that really counts,” Picken said on November 23, when the team dropped off a gaming bundle at N'Amerind. “After all the work that goes into building the actual event, getting everyone involved — ultimately, this is what it's about and this is when it feels the most rewarding.”

“We get excited when we get to do our Project Play day because we get to see all the faces of the people who are coming out and playing with us for the day,” added Brittany Medeiros, event co-ordinator for Project Play. “But this is definitely the exciting part that we look forward to, because this is where we see all our hard work actually going back to the community.”

N'Amerind's cultural connections for aboriginal youth coorindator Chantel Doxtator was on hand to accept the donation. The organization used to have a gaming system for youth to play with, but it was stolen years ago.

“We haven't had one since, and our budget doesn't allow us to purchase those types of things,” she said. “The fundraising that we have been doing over the years has been to take the kids to East Park or Canada's Wonderland or the movies — we haven't yet been able to purchase another gaming system to replace the one that was taken.”

She was thrilled to receive the donation. “This is just unbelievable, it's so awesome. I have youth that drop in all the time — every day, they're in and out, in and out — this is going to be something that's going to bring them in and keep them here.”

This September was the second year for Project Play, which has grown from 12 exhibitors to nearly 40. “Hopefully next year we get even more people out and we can take our almost $10,000 that we've made in two years and see where we can go from there,” Hoy said. He and his team are looking to “move beyond the gaming table” for next year's event by adding new attractions and expanding on existing ones, such as cosplay events and artisans' alley.

“We're in discussions about where we can take Project Play, adding something really, really cool,” Picken said. “We can't say anything yet, but if it happens, it would be really, really, amazing.”

“It involves dinosaurs,” added Hoy with a grin.

For more information on Project Play, check out projectplay.ca.