Tag: Brigham and Women’s Hospital

Gaming for Charity

No Video Games (Until Your Homework Is Done)
All Hallows Eve, a day with a long history of treats and an even longer history of tricks, has come to a close once again. However, if you are one of the “fine, upstanding” individuals that took part in more of the mischief than the merriment this past Halloween, you may be looking for a way to improve your overall karma. Fortunately, if you’re looking for a way to improve your cosmic standing, there is no better way than supporting a charity, and it just so happens that there are a couple of interesting charity events in the Boston area this weekend. In fact, these charity events are specifically designed for gamers, so if you’re a gamer looking for a way to help out, look no further.

First, for all of the video game fans out there who are just dying to take part in a Local Area Network (LAN) party, the Cambridge Innovation Center has you covered. This is because the Cambridge Innovation Center, in partnership with the American Video Game League (AVGL), is hosting the Children’s Miracle Network Extra Life Fundraiser from 8:00 A.M. tomorrow (November 7, 2015) to 8:00 A.M. Sunday (November 8, 2015). This event will give you and your fellow video game fanatics the opportunity to play a full 24 hours of video games without the feelings of guilt that usually occur when you play that long because each player is required to find sponsors to donate money to charity. All of the proceeds from the event will be donated to Boston Children’s Hospital, and it really doesn’t matter how long you play or how much money you raise ($100 per person is the suggested amount) because in the end, it’s all about the charity. For more information on the Children’s Miracle Network Extra Life Fundraiser, please visit the American Video Game League’s Events page.

Secondly, if you’re more into board games than video games and you don’t mind losing some of your blood to something other than a vampire, you may want to check out the Boston Blood Drive and Board Games Event. Knight Moves, in partnership with Eureka Games, is hosting a board game event right down the street from the bloodmobile’s blood drive at Coolidge Corner. The hope is that there may be some gamers out there who are willing to donate some of their blood before they dive into some games at the Knight Moves Board Game Café. This event will not only allow you to help the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women’s Hospital collect the vital fluids they desperately need but will also allow you to get free cookies, play games at Knight Moves for a discounted price, and potentially win some prizes. For more information on the Boston Blood Drive and Board Games Event at Knight Moves and/or to register for the event, please visit the Knight Moves’ Registration Page on the SignUpGenius website.

Photo credit: ** RCB ** / Foter.com / CC BY

Find Your Inner Ninja

Your Inner Ninja
If you’ve ever seen the NBC show, American Ninja Warrior, you’ve probably already realized that it’s one of those shows that you don’t really know why you watch it, but you just can’t stop. In fact, it’s kind of like going to a casino and playing the slots in the sense that you know that it’s unlikely that anyone’s going to win, but you go anyway because it’s just kind of fun. However, if you’ve watched the show and thought to yourself “I want to know how these people do this stuff” instead of thinking to yourself “who would be crazy enough to do this to themselves,” there are a few events in the Boston area this weekend that will help you find your inner ninja.

First, if you’ve always wanted to see what it would be like to race across something, you may want to head over to Fenway Park this weekend. This is because Brigham and Women’s Hospital is hosting a ClimbAmerica fundraiser at Fenway Park this Saturday (June 7, 2014) from 9:00 A.M. on to raise money for heart disease treatment and research. This event will allow you and your friends or family to race up and down the stairs of Fenway park so that your other friends and family will sponsor your run and give money to charity (at least that’s the hope.) For more information on the ClimbAmerica event at Fenway Park and/or to register for the event, please visit the Brigham and Women’s Hospital ClimbAmerica page.

Secondly, if you really want to know how some of the best contestants on American Ninja Warrior learn the techniques that they use to get through the course, you may want to check out a Parkour class at the Cummings School in Somerville. This is because Parkour, which is the art of efficient movement, is one of the techniques that many of the top competitors on America Ninja Warrior use to get over and across the obstacles on the course. In fact, Parkour is not only a great way to bring out your inner ninja, but also a great way to get some exercise. As a result, if you would really love to build up your strength, speed, endurance, and ultimately learn how to move in a more fluid fashion, the Parkour class at the Cummings School may be exactly what you’re looking for. For more information on the Parkour Class at the Cummings School and other Parkour classes throughout the country, please visit the Parkour Generations Americas website.

Finally, if you want to explore the roots of the ninja and learn a little more about the culture of the people that actually came up with the idea for the show, Ninja Warrior, the Japan Festival in Boston is here to help. The Japan Festival in Boston, which runs from 12:00 P.M. to 6:00 P.M. on Saturday (June 7, 2014) as part of the Cambridge Arts River Festival, is a cultural fair that features Japanese artwork, clothing, food, jewelry, toys, and more. For more information on the Japan Festival in Boston, please visit the Japan Festival in Boston website.

Photo credit: Jeyhun85 / Foter / Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0)