The first Spiel-a-thon of 2019 was held at Geekway to the West in St. Louis, MO on May 17.

Between the Spiel-a-thon, sales of Fancy Ducks at the Fancy Gaming event and individual donations, we raised $1,500.

We want to make the world a more playful place and each Spiel-a-thon does just that. The money we raise by playing games allows more kids and seniors a chance to play, too. 

Players earn stamps for playing quick fun family games and pay $3 per stamp. Top scorers compete in a final round for wonderful prizes provided by game publishers from around the world.

Two Meeple Crowns are up for grabs at each Spiel-a-thon. A Player’s Champion and the Celebrity Champion are crowned.

The Player’s Champion is Dwayne Woods!

The Gaming Celebrity Champion is Kathleen Mercury!

In the battle for the Celebrity Crown, there was an epic three way tie for first place between Kathleen, Gil Hova and Stephen Buomocore. Trash talk was thick at this table! When the dust settled, Kathleen unseated the reigning champ (Mr. Buonocore) to take the crown!

Celebrities competing in this year’s Spiel-a-thon:

Julie Ahern (Greenbrier Games)

Stephen Buonocore (Stronghold Games)

Kris Gould  (Wattsalpoag Games)

Gil Hova (Formal Ferret Games)

Kathleen Mercury (kathleenmercury.com | Games in Schools & Libraries)

Marc Specter (Grand Gamers Guild)

We have a tireless, energetic group of volunteers that make each Spiel-a-thon happen. The people mentioned below donate time, resources and creativity to make the event a memorable experience for all involved. Our cast of volunteers included: Erin Green, Roni Worley, Jay Bartelt, Erin Davis, Tina Vo, Matt Kelly, Nieccole Hilliard, Peter Ku, Rebecca Batsell and Raymond Batsell. We can’t thank these amazing folks enough for their help in making the event fun for everyone!

Last but certainly not least, we owe a massive thank you to our prize sponsors!

We had an amazing array of games to give away during the Spiel-a-thon thanks to the generous donations of our prize sponsors. There were random prize drawings, plus six final contestants competed for juicy prize bundles!

Here’s an alphabetical listing of our 20 prize sponsors with links to each company. Let them know you appreciate their support of The Spiel Foundation!

Ameliore Creations
Bezier Games
Bin’Fa
Board Game Tables
Elf Creek Games
Game Trayz
Genius Games
Grand Gamers Guild
Greenbrier Games
Green Couch Games
Happy Up
Indie Boards & Cards
Level Up Dice
Odd Bird Games
Playco Games
R&R Games
Salamander Games
Sneaky Conversations
Stronghold Games
Wattsalpoag Games

In addition to the Spiel-a-thon, we add some extra silliness to the Fancy Gaming event at Geekway by selling Fancy Ducks. It’s so fun to see everyone dressed to the nines, enjoying a cocktail or two, and playing games.

THANK YOU to the staff at Geekway to the West for making the Spiel-a-thon possible.