Gamers Nationwide to Collect Consoles, Video Games for U.S. Troops

Events Across the U.S. Will Raise Funds to Distribute on Veterans Day

 

LOS ANGELES – Sept. 11, 2012 – Parties organized by gamers across America this fall will raise funds to send video games and consoles to U.S. troops deployed to Afghanistan. The events, part of Operation Supply Drop’s national Veteran’s Day "8-Bit Salute to Veterans," will be held in Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles and New York City on Saturday, Nov. 10, 2012. Gamers everywhere are invited to participate.

Captain Stephen "Shanghai Six" Machuga, a former Army Airborne Ranger, founded Operation Supply Drop in Nov. 2010, after serving for eight years with the US Army, including 13 months in Iraq. An avid video game player himself, Machuga realized that many soldiers who are gamers don’t have access to their favorite form of entertainment, one of the few types of leisure activity permitted in high threat areas of deployment.

"When soldiers aren't outside the wire on patrol, they're playing video games," explains Machuga. "Our packages are an immeasurable morale booster for the soldiers; troops are accustomed to getting care packages from strangers full of baby wipes and socks. Our care packages are designed to blow their socks off."

Since the charity’s establishment, Operation Supply Drop has raised more than $60,000 in games and gear each with an average value of $2,000 to units deployed in Iraq or Afghanistan.
With the help of a variety of allied gaming organizations, Operation Supply Drop’s "8-Bit Salute to Veterans" will be one of the country’s largest efforts undertaken in support of Veteran’s Day. Join one of these groups on Saturday, Nov. 10, 2012.

Chicago
Game Pazzo
2011 63rd St.
Downers Grove, Ill. 60516 (West Suburb of Chicago)

Live music, many game stations throughout the area, game challenges with prizes, raffles as well as a full bar and kitchen. Raffle ticket purchases and donations via ChipIn will go towards Operation Supply Drop.

Organizer:  Konas Korner and Off Duty Gamers. 6 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Contact Info:
Mark 'ODG6Actual' Christianson - odg6actual@offdutygamers.com
or
Shawn "Kona" Warbiany - Kona@konaakorner.com

Dallas
The Den & Rumor Lounge
2710 McKinney Ave.
Dallas, Texas 75204

Red Carpet entrance with photo ops, 20 different game stations on 55" TVs, three DJs, geek-speed dating, nerf weapon battles, an online-only QuakeLive tournament and a full bar. Play games with special guests, the Charisma+2 models, Mike McFarland (director and voice-over actor for Dragonball Z, One piece and Full Metal Alchemist), Alexander Rossi (Formula 1 racer) and executives from id Software, Gearbox Software, Robot Entertainment, Terminal Reality, GameStop and a dozen soldiers who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Lockbox will accept monetary contributions and a box for donated games and hardware on site.

Organizer: Charisma +2 . 1 to 9 p.m.

Contact Info:
Yvonna Lynn - yvonna@CharismaPlus2.com


Los Angeles
Los Angeles Film School
6363 Sunset Boulevard
Hollywood, Calif. 90028

In association with the Los Angeles Film School, and Hollywood production company Shifted2U Productions, Operation Supply Drop will be holding a single elimination Medal of Honor: Warfighter tournament in the Game Lab of the Los Angeles Film School to celebrate student and alumni veterans. The event augments the school’s 3rd Annual Salute, a yearly Veterans Day event held at the campus in Hollywood.

Veteran students and alum from the school will shoot it out for a chance to win a variety of prizes and to play side by side with veteran Celebrity Battle Buddies Scott Levy and Michael Broderick (voice and motion-cap actors "Stump" and "Tick" from Medal of Honor: Warfighter), Tyler Grey (military technical advisor for EA Games) as well as Derrick Dockery of the Dallas Cowboys in celebration of Veteran’s Day. More celebrity battle buddies for this exciting event will be announced shortly.

Organizer: Shifted2U

Contact Info:
Tony "Money" Hulse - tonymoney@iamshifted.com

New York
Union Hall
702 Union St.
Brooklyn, N.Y. 11215

Multiple game stations, live Music, party photos, raffles and with proceeds of the door going towards Operation Supple Drop. This event will be MCed by MC Death Bear, feature a Hip hop music performance by Modern Shark recording artists Junk Science which will be followed by a chip-tune dance party headlined by Dj Cutman.

Organizer: Sick Damage

Contact Info:
Rob Ritacco  - rob.ritacco@gmail.com
or
Christian Taranto - mcdeathbear@gmail.com

Microsoft Stores in Bridgewater, N.J.; The Fashion Centre, Pentagon City, Arlington, Va. and Tysons Corner Center, McLean, Va. are partnering with Operation Supply Drop to collect current generation games and consoles for troops from Labor Day through Veteran’s Day.

Contact Info:
LaSone Barber, Pentagon City - LASBAR@microsoft.com

Andrea Beck, Tysons Corner - andreabe@microsoft.com

Nicole Owens, Bridgewater - –nicow@microsoft.com

If you would like to make a contribution to Operation Supply Drop, but cannot attend one of the events, there are still several ways to get involved:

•Make a monetary contribution via Paypal to donations@operationsupplydrop.org.
•Contribute new games or consoles to:

Operation Supply Drop (OSD)
9301 Alvyn Lake Cir.
Bristow, VA 20136

•Anyone interested in creating an event of their own in a different city on Nov. 10, 2012, can contact Stephen Machuga at shanghaisix@fronttowardsgamer.com.

Media contact
Robert Brown
The Bohle Company
robert@bohle.com
(310)-785-0515 x 231