About a 2 min. read
Giving back to the CMB community is integral to our culture, and this year’s Pied for Purpose campaign was no different. Inspired by last year’s inaugural “Pied from Pride” campaign, Pied for Purpose is a charitable engagement at CMB that involves pie-ing a team of CMBers in the face (for real!) for a great cause. This year, CMB’s Board Game Club & Persons with Disabilities Affinity Group sought to raise vital funds for AbleGamers.
How we activated the CMB community:
- Goal: Our goal was to raise $2,500 to support The AbleGamers Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving accessibility in the video game space, enabling more people with disabilities to be able to play video games and improve their quality of life by combatting social isolation and enhancing inclusivity. AbleGamers achieves their goals through peer counseling, partnerships with hospitals and rehabilitation centers, programs fostering community and inclusion, engineering research, and more.
- Engagement: We had 16 CMBers across four different teams sign up to risk being pied in the face at our annual Summer Party.
- Raising the Dough: We decided which of the four teams would get pied in the face by their fellow CMBers through fundraising. The team who raised the most amount of money—through CMB’s colleagues, clients, and community members—would be pied. In addition to traditional donations, we also held several smaller events to encourage fundraising:
- A series of Hobby Nights, where CMBers presented their personal hobbies, including crochet, pottery, and even pickling!
- A Hobby and Craft Raffle, featuring many of the hobbyists from our Hobby Nights series
- And a “Guess the Number of Lego Bricks in the Jar” contest
- Who does the pieing? During the Summer Party, members of the Board Game Club & Persons with Disabilities Affinity Group garnered more donations for a ticket raffle. One raffler was selected for each CMBer being pied from the winning team. There was no limit to the number of raffle tickets one could purchase.
- Added incentives: After reaching the $2,500 fundraising goal, CMB created stretch goals to inspire additional fundraising. Stretch goals included adding extra whipped cream onto the pies, maraschino cherries, chocolate syrup, and sprinkles.
Never underestimate the power of community! Together, we can make an impact. We are proud to announce that we raised a total of $3,530. This is a laugh-filled event that has quickly become a CMB tradition. Can’t wait to see the impact of our 2025 Pied for Purpose fundraiser.
Other members who contributed to this year’s success included:
- Our brave colleagues who volunteered to be potentially pied: Jim Garrity, Daniel Alderstad, Lawrence Booker, Jen Perry, Morgan Brady, Ashley Dillard, Mike Helms, Sam Steiner, Jared Huizenga, Blair Bailey, Leslie Fairbanks, Will Thomas, Jessica Azoulay, Christelle Kamaliza, Michaela Muto, and Chris Neal.
- Our Hobby Night Series hosts: Jen Perry, Hannah Davidsen, Ariel Back, Courtnie Hallendy, Lauren Goncz, Jared Huizenga, Liz White, Reed Guerino, Leslie Fairbanks, and Laura Blazej.
- Our Hobby & Craft Raffle donors: Blair Bailey, Liz White, Jessica Azoulay, Chloe Rourke-Nicholas, Courtnie Hallendy, Hannah Davidsen, Jen Perry, Megan Kelly, Monika Rogers, Lauren Goncz, and Leslie Fairbanks.
- Others who helped with event setup and other logistics throughout: CMB’s Social Committee, Hannah Davidsen, Ashley Dillard, Betsy Herrick, Lauren McLean, Casey Mohan, Kate Milligan, Colleen Ryan, Dana Vaille, and Liz White.
ABOUT THE ABLEGAMERS FOUNDATION
AbleGamers works every day to make sure people with disabilities have the same opportunities and positive experiences through play. With nearly two decades as pioneers in inclusive play, thousands of hours working with people with disabilities, leading developers and engineers AbleGamers creates opportunities for players to find inclusive places to play and connect with family and friends. Learn more here.
