When Olivia began in her role in business development at SpitzerTech back in 2024, one of the first things she wanted to do was get the team working for free. Volunteer efforts in the community provide so much to small businesses. She imagined team-building days, stronger client relationships, and greater visibility in the Portland business scene. She never could have imagined the perfect storm that was SpitzerTech engineers and the youth at Project Lemonade.
In July of 2025, Olivia met Estefania, Project Lemonade’s volunteer manager, at The Standard’s annual volunteer fair at Pioneer Square. They chatted amicably, and in goodbye Olivia jokingly said, “Well, if you ever have a job that needs a bunch of nerds, you know where to find me.” Estefania laughed before suddenly stopping. “Does your team know anything about magic?”
Estefania was referring to the popular trading card game, Magic: The Gathering. First released in 1993, Magic: The Gathering was a large part of our team’s teenage years, learning to play, making friends through the game, and developing a sense of stronger strategy, foresight, and imagination.
Project Lemonade is a Portland-area nonprofit serving local foster youth. Their flagship program features a trendy, fashionable storefront where youth can go “shopping” for clothing and accessories, free of charge. Items in their store include current, new, and in-style clothes, as well as backpacks, wallets, earrings, and – apparently – sets of Magic cards. Estefania had recently received a large box of Magic as a donation and, not a player herself, didn’t know how to organize the cards for “purchase” in their store. SpitzerTech engineers to the rescue!
We picked up the box of cards and got to work, assembling starter packs and booster kits. David and the team quickly decided to augment what had been previously donated, wanting to share their love of the game with as many kids as possible. One of our office’s favorite game shops is Discs & Dice, in Troutdale, Oregon. When David described what we had in mind, they immediately jumped in to donate as well. After assembling the card sets, David and Mikel, one of our engineers, offered to host a game night at Project Lemonade and teach any interested kids how to play.
What our team did not expect was that the young people at Project Lemonade did not come to learn – they came to play. Each attendee came with their own assembled deck, but all were thrilled to receive additional cards from SpitzerTech and Discs & Dice. Rather than teach, our engineers spent hours refereeing games and playing themselves! It was a lovely surprise and a great reminder that games are perfect for bringing folks of all kinds together.
Thank you, Project Lemonade, for giving our team such a fun way to volunteer our time.
Thank you, Discs & Dice, for providing the game gear we needed.
And to the youth at Project Lemonade – rematch soon?
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