Aleen Mean

Last week, Swift developer Becky Hansmeyer tweeted about an absolutely adorable Kickstarter project: Marshmallow Run Game¹. It’s a project by Design Code Build created to help the Girl Scouts of San Diego learn how to create a game for both mobile devices and the web using the MIT-developed programming language Scratch.

The games the Girl Scouts will develop feature a cute cast of characters (Marshmallow, Chocolate, and Graham Cracker) whose goal is to reach their campsite. In the process, the kids will learn about physics programming, geometry, level design, scripting, data analytics, and more.

As of this writing, the Kickstarter has about 68 hours to raise $7,597. Thirty-four hours ago, they needed around $18,000. This tells me two things:

1. The iOS and macOS development communities, who have rallied over the last day and a half, are full of absolutely wonderful people.
2. Once the word started to spread in earnest, it took a mere 34 hours for people to pledge over $10,000. Raising the additional $7,597 is possible if the community sustains its current momentum.

I’ve written about my adoration for technology before, not surprisingly in support of the last major App Camp for Girls fundraiser. My love and support of App Camp is the same love and support I have for this project because our goals are the same: let’s show girls that their interest in technology isn’t weird or wrong. Let’s show girls that it can be fun to solve problems, design characters, and show off their stuff.

Won’t you please join me in supporting Marshmallow Run and in spreading the word about it?