The Super Bowl is hours away, but I’ve encountered one major problem as I make the final preparations for my soiree: nobody actually cares about the outcome of the game. I’m faced with the age-old problem of what to do when the Super Bowl features small/medium market teams. Sure, I love a good game, but football that does not involve the Oregon Ducks (heartbreaking season) just will not keep my rapt attention past one commercial break…and there will be many! Without some quick action, my big party could quickly devolve into poorly played game of charades, or far worse — talking about our jobs! Luckily, there is an age-old solution for this age-old problem. Gambling. Okay, gambling for a good cause. Follow the simple steps below and your party-goers will be as enthralled from kickoff to the final whistle as an Indy or NOLA local…Who dat? More importantly, they will help great local and global causes in the process. Enjoy the Super Bowl for Good Guide . Step 1 – Trash Talk and Give Locally Have your guests declare their allegiance when they walk in the door and keep a tally. Saints’ supporters : Text SAINTS to 25383 to give $10 to Brad Pitt’s “Make It Right” foundation, which is building 150 sustainable and safe homes in the Lower 9th Ward of New Orleans. Colts’ fans : Give to the United Way of Central Indiana’s Live United fund. The fund is supported by the Colts organization and distributes grants locally to organizations like the Big Brothers Big Sisters. Don’t forget to tweet and and update your Facebook status. Like a romantic relationship, your football fandom is only real once it is archived online. Try, “Brad Pitt’s @MakeItRight_9 builds safe, green homes 4 New Orleans families. Text “I support the #Saints and Brad Pitt’s @MakeItRight_9 foundation. Text “SAINTS” to 25383 to give $10″ or, “Go Colts! I’m a Hoosier for Superbowl Sunday. Show your Indy love by giving to United Way http://bit.ly/coltsuw.” Your party is off to a good start with your guest declaring their allegiance for the day, but what happens if they game is a blowout? “Boxes” has saved many Super Bowl party from a lackluster 3rd Quarter implosion. Boxes is a game that pays a winner based on the score at the end of each quarter. Your team can be getting destroyed, but a field goal at the end of the first half might just put a few bucks in your pocket. Or, that of a charity in this iteration. With Boxes, everyone has a stake in the game no matter the score. Step 2 – Boxes for Haiti Boxes seems tricky, but it is quite simple: Create a 10×10 grid — total of 100 boxes Write “Colts” on the top of the Box and “Saints” across the left side (In image: “Colts” where it says “Team A” and “Saints” where it says “Team B”) Have your guests buy a box. Generally $1-$5 per square with people buying 5 to 10 squares depending how many people are attending. The purchaser writes the name of a charity working in Haiti (suggestions below) and their initial in the squares they have purchased (Note: It is random, so it doesn’t really matter which squares they choose). After all the squares are purchased, put scraps of paper with the numbers 0-9 in a hat. Pull the numbers out of the hat at random and write the corresponding number at the top of the grid. Repeat along the side and your grid should look like the example below (Except your Boxes will say the team names and names of charities instead of people). Your numbers will different from the sample below depending on the random order in which you pull them out of the hat. The randomness is important, because some squares have far greater odds of winning than others, 7 and 3 for example. There is a variation where you number the Boxes first, then charge premiums to buy the most sought after squares. You’ve got yourself some Boxes! The winner at the end of each quarter is the person who owns the box with the numbers corresponding to the score. If the 1st Quarter ends with the Colts up 7-0, then the person who wrote their initials in the box with 7 across the top (Colts) and 0 on the side (Saints) wins the pot for that quarter. Of course, in this case, the money will be donated to the Haiti the winner chose when buying the box. Typically, the winner of each of the first three quarters takes $20, with $40 going to the person owning the box with the final score. If teams have more than one number (Tens), only the second number is used to determine the winner. For example, Saints 21 and Colts 14 at the end of the first half means that the person with the Saints “1″ and Colts “4″ box wins. Links are provided below for the winner to forward their earnings to the charity of their choice. TIP: Wait until the 1st Quarter is nearly over to number the boxes. This way latecomers can still get in on the action. Haiti Boxes Charity Suggestions: Health and Rehabilitation Partners in Health Doctors Without Borders Handicap International Water and Sanitation Oxfam Food Catholic Relief Services World Food Program Children, Protection and Reunification Save the Children Unicef International Rescue Committee Author’s Note : If I had a lawyer, she would probably advise me to include some sort of statement urging you to consult the gambling laws in your state as they relate to charitable giving. Luckily, I don’t! So gamble at will and let the chips fall where they may! (cross-posted from Future:Media:Change ) More on Super Bowl XLIV

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Jason Wojciechowski: Super Bowl for Good Guide: Spice Up Your Party and Help NOLA, Indy and Haiti in the Process