Local Nonprofit Turns Play into Purpose in Hardin County

A local organization is turning play into purpose right here in Hardin County. Play for Purpose works to bring people together while supporting important community programs. Tom Dilts, media marketing manager of the nonprofit group, explains the mission behind the organization.

“Play for Purpose is a local 501(c)(3) nonprofit. We use fun and community events to raise money to support people who need it. We engage people through play, and then we turn that into real help for people in our community,” Dilts said.

At the heart of Play for Purpose is the belief that play can be a powerful way to connect people. The organization got its start in 2023 with a small group of dads who shared a love of gaming and saw a need within the community.

“There was a group of four of us. We’re all dads. We kind of share an interest in gaming, mostly. Our first goal was to host a video game tournament and to offer kind of fun events for people to join in around the community, because we noticed that there’s not that many events in this area for children to connect and just play with one another,” Dilts expressed.

Not long after, forming a natural disaster helped to shape the group’s mission in a more meaningful way.

“When that tornado hit the Indian Lake and Russells Point area, and seeing those families, especially the kids displaced from their homes, really changed us. That’s when we realized we could do more, and we began our mission of giving back. We provided some handheld video games and toys for those children over there who lost all their belongings in the natural disaster,” Dilts stated.

Since then, Play for Purpose has focused on helping families in various ways across Hardin County. We focus mostly in Hardin County.

“Our goal is to help families in practical ways, especially around the holiday season. We did provide Christmas gifts to a few families around the area, and we posted a turkey drive on Thanksgiving. For the last couple of years, we’ve given away around 100 turkeys. We also support other local organizations. For example, we were able to make a donation to the local Lions Club to support their Pioneer Park project. Things like that,” Dilts said.

Play for Purpose is now preparing for its next big community event, set to take place this Saturday.

“We’re really excited for this one. On January 31st, we’re hosting a game night in the basement of the Kenton Moose Lodge. This event gets us back to our roots with our goal of doing video game tournaments. It’s centered around gaming, but it’s open to everyone. This is our first event. We’re going to have three fighting games Mortal Kombat, Tekken, and Street Fighter. They’ll be cash prizes for the top three players in each of those tournaments. Even if you’re not competing, there still will be gaming stations set up for people to enjoy. We’re going to do door prizes, a fifty-fifty raffle, and concessions,” Dilts expressed.

The event is centered around gaming, but it is open to everyone. Those interested in supporting Play for Purpose have several ways to get involved.

According to Dilts, they are “always looking for volunteers, new members, and community partners.”

Looking ahead, the organization is already planning its next major fundraiser.

“Our next big event is going to be our annual car show this summer. Last year was our first annual car show, and we had around 450 people attend that. We learned a lot from that one. And we’re taking those notes and lessons, and we’re going to make this year even better. So we’re excited to make those announcements,” Dilts stated.

More details on the upcoming car show will be announced soon, with the event once again planned for the Hardin County Fairgrounds.

To learn more about the organization, you can visit PlayforPurposeOhio.com or visit them on Facebook by clicking here.