Gamers have the power to do some truly amazing things. Bungie raised over $100,000 to aid the victims of Hurricane Katrina with their Fight the Flood shirt. The Child’s Play Charity Dinner that I had the honor of attending last December raised $210,000 in a single night for sick kids in children’s hospitals across North America and the world. An amazing group of women that I game with, The Cavegirls, raised over $750 for the battle against breast cancer with our Fight Like a Girl Halo 2 FFA Tournament that The Don Wan so skillfully coordinated. Gamers can and do make a difference.

The Tied the Leader gaming community has dedicated itself to their Charity Foundation since its inception last January. It has been a labor of love and their staff has spent countless hours working to accomplish this feat. They are proud to finally announce the completion of their first goal, a donation of $500 to a charity that supports combat wounded war veterans.

I am proud to call myself a TTL Gunslinger, today and every day.

Their official press release :

VIDEOGAME COMMUNITY GIVES BACK TO VETERANS

The Tied the Leader Videogame Community Raises Money With Their Charity Foundation, And Donates Funds To Support Veterans

The Tied the Leader gaming community recently announced their first donation to the Azalea Charities, which support combat wounded war veterans. Within only seven months, TTL has been able to raise $500 from planned events, direct donations, and profits from sold merchandise.

The announcement was posted up on the Tied the Leader Blog, the vocal outlet for the TTL Community. In this announcement, David Dague [XerxdeeJ], talks about the Tied the Leader Foundation, and it’s mission and goal. “The Tied the Leader Foundation was created to give back to those from whose culture we borrow so very frequently. It’s a means of offering our humblest thanks to the people that make the safety of our couches their personal responsibility,” said David.

The TTL Foundation is not politically driven, and has no political affiliation. As mentioned by David, “We seek not to make a statement about the virtue of war – or the ones currently being fought. Instead, we seek to recognize the sacrifice of the people who march when the order is given, and to help them when they fall.”

For the full announcement, mission statement for the TTL Foundation, and information about the Tied the Leader community, and the Azalea Charity visit the following links.

Announcement: http://blog.tiedtheleader.com/article/772/from-gunslingers-to-gunslingers

Tied the Leader Foundation Mission: http://foundation.tiedtheleader.com/mission.html

Tied the Leader Community: http://www.tiedtheleader.com/

Azalea Charities AWS: http://azaleacharities.org/pages/aws_home.htm

About Tied the Leader (www.tiedtheleader.com)

Started almost two years ago, Tied the Leader is an online community of gamers committed to honorable conduct and fair play. Our goal is share with our allies and our opponents a gaming experience of the highest possible quality. It’s members find community sharing the pastime of playing online war games. From its origins, it has evolved as a meeting ground for the digital sportsman in search of honorable allies or opponents for various electronic contests of skill and wit. As a gesture of altruism, the strength of our numbers is being leveraged to drive this charitable endeavor. Rather than glorify violence, the TTL community seeks to communicate an understanding for its repercussions in the real world.

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If you would like more information about Tied the Leader, the TTL Foundation, or would like to arrange an interview with one of the staff, please contact Paul Hooper [Dweezle] at paulmhooper@gmail.com. For charitable offers, donations, or business propositions, contact webmaster@tiedtheleader.com. For all other comments and support, send an email to tiedtheleaderblog@gmail.com.