PCCY’s massive Minefaire event a holiday hit

“Germantown.”

“South Philly!”

And where did you guys come from?

“Los Angeles!”

With Philly’s finest dinosaur collection looming overhead, some 6,000 children from our region and beyond spent the last weekend before New Years steeped in a massive celebration of their favorite video game and a few of their favorite subjects, namely Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.

In response to the dearth of engaging STEM events for young learners, we formed a partnership with event producers Open World, event host, the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University (made possible by the visionary leadership of their Board Chair David E. Griffith), to create a special experience in Philadelphia over the holidays.

For many caring parents, the icing on the cake of a fun-filled experience was that, in addition to an exciting and educational experience for their kids, the weekend raised money for PCCY to fund our efforts to improve the lives of children in the region.

While PCCY’s previous Minecraft and STEM events drew huge crowds and ginormous smiles, last month’s Minefaire weekend at the museum certainly established itself as the largest Minecraft event in Philadelphia history.

Some of the biggest smiles we spotted came from one family who may have travelled the furthest to attend their first Minecraft event ever. Parents Daniel and Loralaine Manuel and their children Isabella and Peter, both in middle school, trekked from Los Angeles!

Inspired by the sage advice of their own parents to “guide our kids,” Daniel and Loralaine jumped at the chance to encourage their kids to explore STEM careers and Minecraft-boosted learning opportunities.

Loralaine told PCCY that 8th grader Isabella already wants to be an architectural engineer while Peter, in 6th grade, has his eye on computer engineering.

The teachers at their school use Minecraft as a teaching tool.

“[Being in Philadelphia for Minefaire] by far, was one of the best winter breaks we’ve had,” said Loralaine.

“There was learning involved along with quality family bonding time.”

While they were likely the guests who travelled the furthest to join us, their Minefaire experience mirrored those of families much closer to home, including Gompers Elementary 5th grade students who received free passes courtesy of longtime PCCY supporter and board member Pat West and her husband Tom.

Their generous donation allowed 80 children in total to take in the sights and sounds of Minefaire, including kids from CASA Philadelphia, an organization of court-appointed volunteers that provide advocacy services to abused and neglected children.  

We would like to thank our amazing event sponsors who helped make Minefaire possible: IBEW 98, Microsoft, PECO, FAN GURU, and Keystone First.

Finally, the PCCY community is grateful to the staff and volunteers who took precious time out from the holidays to ensure 6,000 kids felt welcome and safe all weekend long. Officials from the Academy and Open World were effusive in their praise of the PCCY team, noting our extraordinary level of commitment and energy helped create an experience that is sure to live on in the hearts and minds of every guest.