Posts Tagged ‘autism’

December 29, 2014

Top 4 of ’14: Special Icons

As the year comes to a close we can’t help but look back on how big 2014 was! Over the next few days we’ll be looking back on some of our favorite moments of the year. To start things off, here are some of the icons that made this year so special. As many of you may have noticed a few of these have been re-released to the map for the rest of the year as well!

ALS Ice- Iced Over- Points: 20 split cap & owner

ALS Ice Cubes

SEPTEMBER

MHQ’s base in McKinney, Texas may usually be warm in September, but the Munzee community helped freeze us over in our fight to end ALS. This September we sold special virtual icons featuring ice cubes in connection to the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge and gave all proceeds to ALS research. The campaign was an overwhelming success and in two weeks we raised a donation of $54,000 for Project A.L.S..

Football- More Kicks- Points: 20 split cap & owner

Copa Do Munzo Footballs

JUNE

In celebration of the world’s favorite sport, Munzee blasted the world with football icons. From the first whistle in Brazil on June 12 until Germany hoisted the cup on July 13, 704 footballs bounced across the Munzee map. We also held a competition where players could vote on who they thought would win the Cup. As many guessed, Germany won the cup and in hand our players were rewarded too!

Puzzle Heart- More Love- Points: 14 split cap & owner

Autism Awareness Puzzle Hearts

APRIL

To celebrate and bring awareness to April’s Autism theme, Team Munzee deployed 680 special icons on the map. 680 represents the 1:68 ratio of children born with autism currently. The amazing efforts of our active Munzee community lead to over 8,055 hearts captured in the month of April! Player captures raised a total of $4,027.50 in donations towards the Doug Flutie, Jr. Foundation for Autism.

birthday

3rd Birthday Piñatas

JULY

As a part of our #FiestaThree 3rd birthday celebration, we released special piñata munzees around the world. What better way to celebrate Munzee’s third birthday than to hit a paper-mâché donkey until it gives you candy? We released 3,333 piñata specials and just like in real life, munzee piñatas were about getting as many different kinds of candy as quickly as possible. When you capped a piñata you randomly received one of three types of candy and a corresponding special icon. It was a hit! Get it?

What were your favorite icons of 2014? Be sure to follow along the rest of the year as we look back on more big moments from 2014!

May 21, 2014

Munzee for good this May!

With inspiration from previous Players of the Week (Derik Reed and Family) we’ve launched a special campaign that we hope inspires the entire Munzee community to open their hearts and join their hands together in fighting for an important cause!

RMHlogo

RMH Virtual Munzee is a special limited time Munzee purchase.  On sale from May 21 until May 31 (MHQ time) only.  RMH Virtuals are temporary gamepieces with all proceeds to benefit the Ronald McDonald House of Spokane Washinton.  The donation to RMH of Spokane is to honor the special relationship between the Reed family, RMH, and local Munzee players.  Read more about the Reed family and their special Player of the Week award on our blog.

RMH Virtual munzees will remain on the map from the date of deployment until June 30, 2014 at 18:00 MHQ time (CDT).

The RMH Virtual points will be similar to a diamond Munzee.  Players will earn 10 points for deploying the munzee.  The owner and capper will split 20 points when captured, with a minimum of 5 points for either player.  Example:  Player A captures and receives 7 points, the owner receives 13 points.  Player B captures and receives 8 points, the owner receives 12 points.  The maximum for owner or capper is 15 points.  The minimum is 5 points.

ONE PURCHASE IS FOR FOUR (4) RMH VIRTUALS.  THESE ARE TEMPORARY AND NOT PERMANENT GAMEPIECES, REMOVAL JUNE 30. Purchase your RMH Virtuals here: http://store.munzee.com/RMH-Virtual.html

Four badges may be earned through your purchase and support of the RMH virtual munzee.  Badges received for owning 4 RMH munzees, 8 RMH, 20 RMH, and 40 RMH munzees owned.

REED_Ronnie_720REED_Helpers720REED_Helena720

REED_Family720As if all of this isn’t enough…How about ONE MORE THING!  FREEBIES:  Buy 2 packs (8 RMH total = $10) get one free regular virtual munzee.   Buy 5 packs (20 RMH total = $25) get one free mystery virtual munzee.   Must be purchased in same order to qualify for freebies.

The Blast Capture will work in order to capture the RMH virtual.  No colors may be applied to the RMH Virtual.

May 15, 2014

Munzee Players of the Week, Derik Reed and Family!

Globally, Munzee is a network of players bound together by one simple thing, a love of the game, and passion to build our community with other like-minded people.  Munzee provides us with an outlet to get outdoors, do something special with the family, see new sights, and make new friends.  We’re all different, and we each have our own amazing personal story that makes us stronger, and makes this the most amazing group of players (and people) to be a part of.  This week’s Players of the Week are no exception to this. The Reed Family (Derik, Kathryn, David and Julia),  are near and dear to our hearts.  Their love of the game and love of their son David resonate throughout the Munzee community. Today, we want to make them “shine” worldwide with all of you!  Read below and get to know this week’s courageous Players of the Week!

The Reeds

1.  Who are you?  Let us know your “names” and introduce your Munzee family!

We are derikkathryn, Derik Reed, lilgeodave, and lilgeolia. My kids have their own accounts, at their request when we started playing together.

2.  Where in the world do you live? We live in East Helena, MT, USA

3.  How long have you played Munzee?    (Derik) I began playing in January of 2013, 15 months ago.

4.  How did you find Munzee?  Did someone in your family “take” to Munzee first, or was it a passion shared amongst you all?

I discovered Munzee while overhearing it being discussed at an event of the other Geolocation-Game-That-Must-Not-Be-Named. I think they were actually making fun of it; I downloaded the app, and discovered that there were no more than a dozen in the area I was covering (including my home and Spokane, WA). It took me over a month to get to 100 points, as I had not discovered “armchair munzees” yet.  My son David had been diagnosed with ALL, T-Cell Leukemia in October of 2012, and was living with my wife at the Ronald McDonald House in Spokane; munzee provided me with a needed distraction and activity (mostly deploying) while driving back and forth between here and there.  My kids both have active accounts, and have played in clan battles with me, but mostly like to go on walks, and sometimes are ready to be done way before me!

Derik and Julia

5.  What do you enjoy most about Munzee?

I enjoy the opportunity to get outside and exercise, the chance to meet new people with similar interests, including planning local events, coordinating strategic Munzee attacks so that our local clans can compete with the “Big Boys in Europe” and on the Coasts during clan battles.

6.  How has Munzee impacted your relationship with your family, especially your children?

My family frequently munzees together, but I have way more drive than the kids.  Our connections with others, especially while in Spokane, have been greatly augmented by Munzee and the other “Geolocation-Game-That-Must-Not-Be-Named”; also, my connections in that other game have triggered an interest in Munzee in Spokane, where the map has grown from just a few to over 5000 deploys in the last year.  Also, another Munzer visiting Spokane capped some Munzees we deployed while walking to Riverfront Park from the Ronald McDonald House on Easter of 2013; she was so moved by our deploys that she made contact with my wife (at R.M.H.), and provided a significant amount of financial, emotional, and spiritual support while we were in Spokane! The people I play with have become close, personal friends, and their prayers and encouragement have been essential to our navigation of the last year.  More locally, at a recent event in Helena, another player’s son, who is a survivor of  childhood leukemia, was able to meet with my son.  We are forging lifelong connections through this game!

Carroll College Homecoming -- David presented game ball

7.  What is on your wish list?

Most of my wishes have come to pass in the last year–i-nigma on the iPhone, locally planned events, better functionality for conversion and other functions within the app; but the greatest desire I have right now would be for some (or all!) of MHQ to come to one or more events in Montana and Spokane this summer!  It would be an acknowledgement that we in the hinterlands are having an impact on the game!

8.  Tell us more about your son’s treatment, and how the last 18 months have been for your family:

David was diagnosed with cancer on October 8, 2012, two days before his seventh birthday. He was in critical condition, and within hours of his diagnosis, he was life-flighted to Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital in Spokane, Washington. During the first eight months (the most intense phases) of his three and a quarter years of treatment, he and his mother were required to live in Spokane. The Ronald McDonald House of Spokane became their home away from home. Without the Ronald McDonald House and all of the support it offered our family, those eight months away from home, friends, and family would have been even more difficult. The House provided us a safe place to live, play, and interact with other families with children with significant health issues.

We moved home Memorial Day weekend of 2012, but we visit the Ronald McDonald House every time we’re in Spokane to drop off donated pop tabs and to visit; we will always be grateful to the staff and supporters of the House.

Kathryn, David and Derik

David’s treatment consists of five phases, four of which were completed while we lived in Spokane. The first four phases involved IV chemotherapy, intrathecal chemotherapy, oral chemotherapy and steroids, as well as full cranial radiation. The last phase of treatment requires daily oral chemotherapy, a trip to Spokane every four weeks for IV chemotherapy, and a trip to Spokane every twelve weeks for a lumbar puncture and spinal chemotherapy; this cycle is repeated until the end of treatment. David will complete his final chemotherapy and ring the bell as a childhood cancer survivor on January 18, 2016.

David near the end of trt in spokane

Team Munzee is proud to have the Reed Family as this week’s Players of the Week.  The passion and strength they bring to their everyday lives and the game is an inspiration to us, and hopefully, an inspiration to you!  We’d like it if the Munzee community could rally together and capture this very special Social we’ve deployed for lilgeodave:

tghisone

A note from our President:  The Reed family and their story have inspired Team Munzee.  Coming very soon we will celebrate and honor their Munzee connection with the Ronald McDonald House of Spokane.  Prepare for special charity gamepieces, icons, and badges.  More information coming very soon!

Thanks so much for taking a moment to read this important Player of the Week Interview, and capturing this Social.  Keep your eyes on the blog, and on our Social Outlets for the big announcement from Team Munzee.  You can help make a difference in this world! “Expect the Unexpected” this 2014!
Fitbit wireless activity + sleep trackers

May 2, 2014

Announcement: Munzee donates USD $5,000 to Doug Flutie, Jr. Foundation for Autism!

The amazing efforts of our active Munzee community lead to over 8,055 hearts captured in the month of April! Player captures raised a total of USD $4,027.50 in donations towards an Autism charity. Team Munzee has decided one organization deserves the incredible efforts of our players.

Flutie Foundation_best jpeg logo

Autism is a neurological disorder that impacts the normal development of the brain (oftentimes in areas of social interaction and communication skills). Autism occurs in as many as one in 150 births, and awareness towards this struggle is something passionately felt by Team Munzee.

The Doug Flutie, Jr. Foundation for Autism was established in 1998 by NFL quarterback Doug Flutie and his wife, Laurie, in honor of their son Doug, Jr. who was diagnosed with autism at age three.

Doug Flutie, Jr. Foundation is dedicated to increasing the awareness of autism and improving the lives of families facing the unique challenges of facing autism everyday. Our commitment is to support these families by helping them find the resources they need and by funding advocacy programs as well as educational, therapeutic and recreational opportunities. To learn more about Flutie Foundation, check out the following link: http://www.flutiefoundation.org/

Like Team Munzee, Doug Flutie, Jr. Foundation is a small group of passionate people working hard every day to turn their vision into a reality. Yesterday, TJ (VP of Sales/Marketing) reached out to the devoted five-person team and offered our total donation of USD $5,000.00 to their organization! We’re glad we could make a difference by donating to a dedicated organization that will utilize over 90% of our donation towards Autism Awareness (and helping families of children with autism ). Their primary objective is to provide families with a place to turn when they are in need of support and autism resources.

Team Munzee wants to give a big “THANKS” to our player community, YOU are what makes Munzee great. You inspire us to make a difference every day, and today we were able to do just that!

PS: Be sure to give them a little “Like” on Facebook too! https://www.facebook.com/flutiefoundation