We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Project Pinball Charity Group, Inc.. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Project Pinball Charity Group, Inc. below.
Project Pinball Charity Group, Inc., sincerely appreciate your selflessness in agreeing to discuss your mental health journey and how you overcame and persisted despite the challenges. Please share with our readers how you overcame. For readers, please note this is not medical advice, we are not doctors, you should always consult professionals for advice and that this is merely one person sharing their story and experience.
At Project Pinball Charity, the team is encouraged to put their mental health first. This task may seem almost impossible considering the culture that comes with the territory, charities are known for burnout. But, that is exactly what we try to avoid. The team is small, there are 5 of us, and each person is responsible for crucial roles. However, the policy is to take care of yourself first and lean on the team when needed. From personal health conditions to major life changes, our team’s personal lives have their ups and downs and whirlwind tornados that throw routine and mental clarity completely down the drain.
We care for our mental health for personal reasons, but also to ensure the team has energy to provide toward the mission. We want to continue working with local communities to share the therapeutic stress-relief that pinball provides to young patients and families in their own backyard. We keep our spirits high to help raise up community spirits even higher, and their dedication motivates us to keep moving, even when the path toughens.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
The Project Pinball Charity Group is a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization that places pinball machines in Children’s Hospitals and Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHCs) to introduce therapeutic health benefits to kids of all ages, their families, and hospital staff. As of August 2023 with the help of local communities across the nation, Project Pinball has placed 63 pinball machines throughout 27 states.
The organization started in 2011 when Sr. Founder/Director Daniel Spolar discovered a broken, unplayable pinball machine at Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida. The Spider-Man pinball machine, by Stern Pinball, was a gift donated to the hospital and its patients in the memory of Jimmy Schneeberger (02/17/1989-04/13/2000). After seeing this memorial gift in such disrepair and how much the patients and community loved the machine, Daniel knew he had to gather his local community to help. The pinball community and many local benefactors raised funds and donated time to restore the machine to perfect condition and on 06/03/2013, the machine was re-dedicated to the hospital with open arms.
“A pinball machine helps keep patients active by motivating them to get back on their feet, and gives family members and hospital staff a recreational lift,” says Daniel. Project Pinball’s main goal is to provide patients a healthy and engaging outlet that positively benefits their healing process mentally, emotionally, and physically. Hospitals can be defeating and monotonous, but pinball is a confidence booster that young patients desperately need to feel like themselves in a stressful environment.
We could not do this without the support of hundreds of volunteers and donors and we would love for YOU to become a part of the nationwide mission! Check out some ways below you can help patients and families in need of stress-relief:
1. Donate: https://projectpinball.org/donate/
2. Volunteer: https://projectpinball.org/volunteer/
3. The yearly Project Pinball Charity Silent Auction at Pinball Expo is around the corner on 10/18th-21st! Partner with us and donate an item to our biggest fundraising event of the year by emailing [email protected]!
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Project Pinball Charity believes that the 3 most impactful qualities that helped the journey of the mission is empathy, community, and creativity.
Project Pinball’s story started with empathy. The machine at Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida had over 21,332 plays on it over a two year period when Daniel found it in such an unplayable condition. The patients and the staff expressed to Daniel the deep love they had for the machine. It was their beacon of hope when the poking, prodding, and treatments became unbearably exhausting. While hearing the heart-felt testimonies from the community, he could relate to the sensations he felt when playing and the mental and emotional peace it provided. He understood how much they needed a playable pinball machine.
Next, with the help of a strong community the mission grew nationwide. The pinball world is vast and dedicated, and the Child Life Specialists at Children’s Hospitals know the hardships young patients face every day. The community has now expanded into the lives of people who have never even played pinball, because regardless, if you’ve ever undergone life-changing stress then you know the importance of a healthy distraction.
Lastly, but never the end of the process, is creativity. Every day the team is thinking of new ways to best help young patients through pinball. The most important moments happen when dedicating machines. Most patients have never played pinball and it is very daunting, especially in a setting that is constantly overstimulating them. Kids shy away, but the team shows patients how to play while talking about their interests and hobbies. Hospital life for kids and families becomes tedious and repetitive. However, pinball becomes an engaging space where conversations are encouraging and emotions are vibrant.
At the end of the day, it is about the people you serve and their community. Find ways to connect with them! Whether a non-profit, a business, or a hobby, if your team can focus on these three qualities to start then you will find your path full of life and support so you can better serve the community.
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
We love collaboration! As we’ve said, collaborating is key when it comes to helping communities in need. Recently we’ve paired with two different groups who are simply amazing! If you or anyone you know would like to partner in these types or ways, or a new way, please reach out at [email protected]!
First up is Lockwood Elementary School who is a part of the Rx Pinball Placement Program, which focuses on placing pinball machines in special education classrooms at schools. The Special Education Teacher, Mrs. Ashley Gouchenour, reached out to Project Pinball with the idea to help her students regulate emotions and foster friendships through pinball, specifically her autistic students. We dedicated a machine to her classroom in June of 2022, and during the 2022-2023 school year she conducted a Case Study on the impact of pinball in the classroom.
You can find Ashley Gochenour’s Case Study “Using Pinball Play in an Elementary School Setting to Positively Impact Behavior for Students with Special Needs” (2022) with this link: https://rb.gy/da3mg
To read about Ashley’s experience during this project, check out her recent blog post, “Pinball in the Classroom – Positively Impacting Student Behavior Through Pinball Play” below:
https://myliferamblings.com/pinball-in-the-classroom/?fbclid=IwAR3HvXJS4Z-dRLE3j88jHl8AxvpFm3EZIC_FaH6aPDPzqs_PUMoB_caDyWI.
Next up is Inclusive Gamewerks, a company focused on making pinball accessible and inclusive for people with disabilities. Recently, we partnered with them in support of their ADA Enhanced Controller that connects to pinball machines. Players can simply set the controller in their lap and push buttons to operate the flippers.
Their work is absolutely groundbreaking. In July, the Inclusive Gamewerks Team met up with the team and the Rocky Mountain Pinball Club at Colorado Children’s Hospital to place a controller on Project Pinball’s Iron Man pinball machine! This machine was dedicated in 2016, and we were incredibly happy to upgrade the machine to make it more accessible and inclusive. We can’t wait to continue making pinball machines more accessible in the future! Be sure to check out Inclusive Gamewerks on Facebook!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://projectpinball.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/project_pinball_charity/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ProjectPinball/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/project-pinball-charity-group-inc/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ProjectPinball?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ProjectPinballCharity
- Other: For All Raffles to Enter and to Support Project Pinball Charity’s Mission: https://projectpinball.rallyup.com
Image Credits
The Project Pinball Charity Team
