Community Partners

Geek Partnership Society (GPS)

The Geek Partnership Society is CONvergence Events Premier Partner. The main points or partnership include:

  • Convergence Events, Inc. continues to donate to GPS not less than $25,000 each year.
  • Both CONvergence Events, Inc. and GPS will encourage their attendees, members and site visitors to participate in the events and programs of the other partner organization.

Mission Control
Convergence and GPS also agreed in May to an additional pledge of money from Convergence toward a new, shared space. This new combined space will include offices, storage, and multifunction rooms for events and activities of both organizations. The new offices will be located in the Waterbury Building, 1121 Jackson Street in Minneapolis.

Anime Twin Cities/Anime Detour

By virtue of working with GPS on that shared space, CONvergence Events is proud to be in a closer relationship with Anime Detour and their parent organization, Anime Twin Cities, who contributed a substantial sum of money to GPS for the project.

2D Con

2D Con is an inclusive event featuring three days of non-stop gaming. From retro arcade games and pinball all the way to the newest titles, 2D Con has it all. Thousands of games, all free to play. Alongside video game offerings, 2D Con also hosts a variety of panels and concerts, highlights indie creators, and features a large tabletop gaming area. 2D Con is put on by an amazing team of dedicated volunteers, and raises money for charity. Casual or competitive, new or old, 2D Con offers something for everyone! 2D Con has brought their digital arcade to CONvergence Gaming.

Autism Society of Minnesota

The mission of the Autism Society of Minnesota (AuSM) is to enhance the lives of individuals and families affected by Autism Spectrum Disorder. AuSM serves Minnesotans, throughout their lives, with a fundamental commitment to advocacy, education, support, collaboration, and community building. AuSM has consulted on and helped facilitate CONvergence’s Sensory Break Room.

USS Nokomis Star Trek Club

Active in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota, science fiction community for more than 30 years. USS Nokomis is a starting point to launch friendships. Members take their common interest in Star Trek and optimism in our future and apply it to the world. Whether it’s attending regular meetings, participating in a community service project, attending local conventions, or socializing at one of our parties or campouts, the USS Nokomis can be as much as you want to make it. USS Nokomis has partnered with the American Red Cross for over 20 years to facilitate the CONvergence Blood Drive.

Level Up Games

Level Up Games is a gaming store in the Twin Cities, MN area featuring Tabletop Games, Comics, Graphic Novels, Magic: the Gathering, RPGs, Videogames, Warhammer, and Pokemon trading card games. Their location at the corner of 15th avenue and LaSalle is just a short stroll from the Hyatt Minneapolis! Level Up Games has made a significant donation to CONvergence’s board game library.

Velasquez Family Coffee

Velasquez Family Coffee has added CONvergence to its fundraiser coffees! Now, when you purchase your small-batch, Minnesota-roasted coffee beans, a portion of the proceeds can benefit CONvergence. Importing coffee to Minnesota helps ensure the Velasquez family in Honduras a livable income and supports their efforts to protect and enhance the precious cloud forest where they farm. The Velasquez Family name is guarantee that the coffee you serve your family is high quality and sustainably produced.

Fearless Comedy

Founded in July of 2012, Fearless Comedy Productions consists of 12 founding members and 8 partner companies, including such CONvergence favorites as The Dregs, Geeks Without God, and Vilification Tennis. As the connecting hub for a variety of different partner companies, Fearless is able to produce comedy in many different genres, including internet content, podcasts, music, video, and theater. The company strives to produce comedy without limits and to help each performer and producer find their unique voice.

Hallie Q. Brown Community Center

Hallie Q. Brown Community Center is an 87-year old, African American nonprofit social service agency that comes out of the Settlement House movement. The mission of Hallie Q. Brown Community Center, Inc is to improve the quality of life in our community by providing access to critical human services, fostering and promoting personal growth, and developing community leadership in five core areas: Early Childhood Education, Youth Enrichment, Basic Needs, Seniors and Multiservice Hub Center.

A primary element is the introduction and integration of a geeky focus into the Youth Enrichment and Basic Needs areas. HQB utilizes its program Project Superhero to engage at-risk youth with finding positive paths in life and all youth in literacy and civic engagement. Comic book clubs, personal hero development classes and the major theme of “Be A Hero in the Fight Against Hunger” that includes Hallie’s Heroes, League of Hunger Villiains and HungerCon. Patterned after events like CONvergence and Comic Con, HungerCon is a half day event for everyone involved in the March Campaign or interested in hunger relief while being fans of Superheroes, Science Fiction and Fantasy in all media. This is the first of its kind and features contests, costumes, vendors, exhibitors and most off all, the success of the March Campaign. A CONvergence-like event to help fight hunger in MN!

KFAI

KFAI is a volunteer-based community radio station that exists to broadcast information, arts and entertainment programming for an audience of diverse racial, social and economic backgrounds. By providing a voice for people ignored or misrepresented by mainstream media, KFAI increases understanding between peoples and communities, while fostering the values of democracy and social justice.

Maximum Verbosity

Now in its thirteenth season, Maximum Verbosity (spearheaded by playwright, poet, and storyteller phillip andrew bennett low, along with many collaborators) continues to produce work in a wide variety of mediums including books, plays, and storytelling, and genres including comedy, drama, and general audience discomfort. Maximum Verbosity productions are marked with a special focus on the intersection of language (big words), mythology (Sun Wu-Kong, Dionysos, and JLA kinda stuff), and parentheses (and parentheses within parentheses (where necessary)). Check out what’s going on with Maximum Verbosity at any given moment on maximumverbosityonline.org.

Open Cities Health Center

Open Cities Health Center is a nonprofit community health center that has been serving thousands of people since 1967. The mission of Open Cities Health Center is to provide culturally competent primary and preventive health care and related services to all people throughout the Twin Cities metropolitan area. The goal is to improve the health and well-being of high risk and vulnerable populations through the provision of affordable medical and dental care and related services.

Twin Cities Geek

Twin Cities Geek is an online culture magazine for the self-identifying geek community in Minnesota, particularly focused around the areas of Minneapolis, MN and Saint Paul, MN. It is the goal of Twin Cities Geek to provide online spaces where topics important to members of Minnesota’s geek communities can be discussed in fun, constructive, responsible, and impactful ways.

Vilification Tennis

What’s funnier than watching other people sling coarse insults at each other? Nothing, except maybe your mom . That’s right, Vilification Tennis is not ashamed of “going there”. Learn more about Vilification Tennis at www.vilificationtennis.com or come and see them perform sometime at the Bryant Lake Bowl.

Special Thanks

Convergence Events is proud to be a non-profit and public charity. Many individuals and organizations make donations that provide a great deal of help with our efforts and ability to provide the services we do. Below are some of our donators thought certainly not all. Convergence Events is very thankful to all of our donators.

The AmazonSmile Foundation

The AmazonSmile Foundation is a 501(c)(3) private foundation created by Amazon to administer the AmazonSmile program. All donation amounts generated by the AmazonSmile program are remitted to the AmazonSmile Foundation. In turn, the AmazonSmile Foundation donates those amounts to the charitable organizations selected by our customers. Amazon pays all expenses of the AmazonSmile Foundation; they are not deducted from the donation amounts generated by purchases on AmazonSmile.

To donate to Convergence Events, register at AmazonSmile and then use http://smile.amazon.com (instead of www.amazon.com) from now on!

Mobile Beacon

Mobile Beacon has donated internet equipment and given significantly discounted service to Convergence Events for our connection needs at various events, community functions, and locations. Mobile Beacon is dedicated to the reselling of Clear to non-profits. Clear has merged now with Sprint and Convergence Events is greatful that Sprint has decided to continue to honor the Mobile Beacon initiative.

SurveyMonkey

SurveyMonkey has donated a significant discount for the use of the “Gold” version of their online survey solution to Convergence Events for use in collecting feedback and public opinion.

Microsoft

Microsoft has donated much of their office suite, operating systems, and other services to Convergence Events for our needs and presentations.

Adobe

Adobe has donated their Acrobat, Creative Suites, and other products to Convergence Events for use in our publications and distributions.

Intuit

Intuit has donated their Quickbooks Desktop Premium Non-Profit version and their Quickbooks Online Pro service to Convergence Events for use in our financial needs.