About Us

The Clara & Jelena Charity (CJC), established in January 2021, was created to bring the tabletop, trading card, war gaming, board game community together in raising funds for charitable causes. Every year a Game Convention near Pittsburgh, PA is held to bring these generous players together to raise money for the Camp Soles Sponsor a Camper program. The Sponsor a Camper campaign raises much needed financial support for children, teens, and families requiring support to access camp programs. 

Mission Statement: The Clara and Jelena Charity (CJC) will raise funding for kids to access, experience, grow and learn at Camp Soles.  We play games that give back.  

The CJC is an inclusive and accepting organization, proud to represent and welcome the extraordinarily diverse worldwide community of tabletop players and artists.  We strive to treat every person with empathy, respect, dignity, and impartiality.  The CJC aims to positively impact the world in a compassionate and meaningful way.  

Please contact us at: cjcdonate@campsoles.org for more information.  

For more than 65 years, Camp Soles has provided high quality and affordable overnight, family camp, and retreat programs. Located in the Laurel Highlands of southwestern Pennsylvania, our 200+ acre facility is recognized by many as one of the most beautiful camps in North America. Campers have the opportunity to try their hand at a variety of activities including swimming, canoeing, aqua  trampoline, paddleboards, Ga-Ga, arts and crafts, pickleball, climbing wall, zipline, fishing, target  sports, soccer, hiking, drama, nature study, and much more. 

Their top tier programming and intentionally affordable rate make this non-profit, female-owned, independently run youth camp the ideal recipient for the CJC funds.  Camp Soles fosters self-confidence, friendships and kindness in kids of all ages.  We are proud to partner with an organization that prioritizes kids having fun.  

If you want to learn more about Camp Soles, check out their website here: campsoles.org 

Clara Yurko and Jelena Naponic were Nick’s beloved grandmothers.  While they are no longer with us in body, we like to think they would be proud of the mission of the CJC and today’s event.  

Thank you for helping us celebrate their love!

2019 - Rachel Popovich and Nick Yurko are asked to run the Pittsburgh Chapter for another charity board game tournament.  After this event, they realized they how much fun they had running an event, helping a charity, and bringing the community together.  They were hungry for more doing-good!  

2021 - Although the world started opening back up, the local board game convention charities were not returning. At this time, Nick and Rachel decided they could run their own charity event. The rest of 2021 became preparation for the first CJC. 

2022 March 26 - The first CJC happened and raised over $2,100 for Camp Soles. There was only two game tournaments, 50+ attendees, and 20 volunteers.  

2023 - May 13th: We raised over $3,200 for Camp Soles. We had 4 tournaments, and multiple games all day from table top warzones to board game bashes. We had over 50 attendees, and 20 volunteers.

2024 - May 18th: The First MINI CJC! Due to schedule complications and venue availability, the CJC is hosting raffle prizes during Pokemon TCG Pre-release and One Piece $1K tournaments. This is taking place at the Vault in Greensburg! See you there! Learn more detials about each event here: https://vaultgamestore.com/

Chairs: Rachel Popovich & Nick Yurko

Event Volunteers: Without these amazing people, this event is not possible. They work extremely hard to make the game convention run smoothly.  We cannot thank these people enough for everything they do!

Dave, Cindy, Laura, Sarah, Dennis, E Uncle T, Kimmy, Tim, Shannon, Norah, Tara, Mary Carol, Lou
Amy, Ron, Ronnie, Joe, Amy

Game TOs/Front Runners: These players give up their time to play the games they love to run the individual events. They create the tournament or event that makes players want to come play at the CJC. They also support in finding the right prize support for the players participating. 

Ryan, Dan, Jack, Steve, Chuck, Don, John

100% of the money raised goes to Camp Soles. 

The CJC has no employees. We have only volunteers and donors that cover event expenses (like food, prizes, etc) so that all donor dollars go directly to helping kids.

Every dollar for an entry ticket, raffle ticket, X-wingo card, or any side event entry goes to Camp Soles. This is extremely important to the team. This lets the game convention players know that the money they spend at the event is going to Camp Soles. 

You can donate directly to Camp Soles at: https://campsoles.campbraingiving.com/

You can also donate to the directly to the CJC through paypal (cjcdonate@campsoles.com) or cashapp (@CJCdonations).

 
If you would like to donate to prize support (tournament focused or as a raffle prize), please contact us directly at: cjcdonate@campsoles.org