Hey everyone! We hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and got to play some games with loved ones! Our blog has something to be thankful for, too! Jamey Stegmaier—of Stonemaier Games—has been a Friend of the Blog for a long time. And we liked his game Viticulture quite a bit. So we were honored and humbled when he asked us to participate in his latest endeavor: An auction for limited edition copies of Viticulture—with part of the proceeds going to a charity of our choice.

We could pick any charity we wanted, and we decided on Blood:Water Mission. Here's their mission statement: Blood:Water Mission is a grassroots organization that empowers communities to work together against the HIV/AIDS and water crises in Africa.

Here's some more about them:

Community: Ending the AIDS and water crises means seeing communities come together. It's about team work. And healthy relationships. It's not just about what you can do, it's about what we can do. Focus on the growth of a community, and its success will be for everyone.
Responsibility: There is a message of repentance that we accept because the world isn't how it should be. The way we live affects the way others live. Once we are aware, there is a responsibility to live that out. First we own the problem. And then we own the solution.
Integrity: We do what is right, even when it requires more work. We don't cut corners. Ever. Our work is excellent, our relationships are honest and our finances are clean because we believe in the mission and its life-changing impact on communities. We will always prioritize doing it right. And we do what we say we will do. And when we fail, we will be honest about it, find a way to correct it, and learn from our mistakes.
Dignity: Working for basic healthcare can intrinsically foster dignity in a community. We want our actions and attitudes to do the same. When we tell someone's story as they would want it to be heard, we honor their story. We are about inspiring people by sharing a humanized account of others, and therefore, being human to one another.
Teachability: We do excellent work, but we are not perfect. Our values demand that we be transparent with others about the challenges and lessons that we are learning. We value listening and being willing to be wrong. Being teachable shows that we are less interested in our own pride and more concerned about the best interest of the mission. Our transparency doesn't compromise the confidence of a donor, it builds it.

We love that.

So what about these copies of Viticulture? Here's the link to the Geeklist—and please, please, please give some thumbs to our item, even if you don't bid. And if you want to just donate to Blood:Water Mission, check out the Web site yourself.

Thanks so much for reading.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwg6cw5slKA]