Trading card games help local charities

7/2/2025

Trading card games take a variety of forms. Some of you may have seen or opened a pack of Pokémon cards. Others may have seen a few seconds of Yu-Gi-Oh on TV while channel surfing. Jeffrey Darus’ affinity for card games has allowed him to give back to his local community.

His journey started on his childhood playground when he and his friends were looking to get in on what was the most popular at the time. 

“I remember the first time we all touched ‘Halo’ and the first time we all touched ‘Call of Duty.’ But the one constant that always stuck around was card games. There was never any downside to ripping open a pack of Pokémon cards or a pack of Yu-Gi-Oh cards,” Darus said.

The pandemic launched Darus back into trading cards. The time spent inside drove many into collecting and hobbies, new and old.

“I thought, if I’m going to be inside with my friends — you know, social distancing from others — then let’s find a good inside activity. And it happened to be cards,” Darus said.

Darus and his friends regularly played various card games together, spanning Digimon, Pokémon and even his lifelong favorite anime, One Piece. 

“In 2022 or 2023, Bandai (Namco) said we’re going to make a card game out of Jeffrey’s favorite anime, One Piece. I have been following One Piece since I was 10. I’m 28 now, and I turn 29 in September. The amount of time that I’ve spent invested in One Piece as a fan is old enough to vote and drive a car,” Darus said.

Darus took the idea of growing the One Piece community in the metro to Jay’s CD and Hobby. 

“I said, ‘Hey, let’s take this and let’s build on this. One Piece is big. You’re going to get a lot of new card game players and old card game players. Let’s make it work for everyone.’ And from there, I was able to get my ground as a tournament organizer,” Darus said.

The employees at Jay’s effectively let Darus become a volunteer employee. He has organized several events and tournaments with the help of the store. Darus led teams to regional and national card game tournaments as a result. As of late, Darus has organized charity-driven events.

“I remember when we were playing Digimon, when I was just a player. I thought to myself, how can we give back to either the store or the community? And then I remember one day, someone left a pair of gloves. Someone said, ‘Hey, are these anyone’s gloves? Going once, going twice. All right, we’re going to either bin them or give them to charity.’ I’m like, wait, that’s a good idea. We should start doing charity,” Darus said.

The idea snowballed. Once Darus got his foothold as a tournament organizer, he looked for ways the community could begin to give back. He began asking other organizers in different states how and if they do something similar. 

“I actually found out that Konami sponsors a canned food drive event based on the first season of Yu-Gi-Oh. So, we wager two cans each, and each can is a pack. So, I turn in, let’s say, five cans, you get five packs. It’s all sanctioned and all organized by Konami. I thought, how can I do that for myself?” Darus said.

Instead of paying a normal entry fee for a tournament, competitors would then donate an equivalent amount toward the theme, whether it be canned food, school supplies, women’s hygiene products, or Black hair care products. Darus then donates these supplies to local charities.

“Everyone loved it. Everyone thought it was a fresh take on the idea. Their sense of competitiveness actually goes up in the charity events. They’re never indifferent to it. They’ll always donate,” Darus said. 

The events also allow Darus to give himself, his friends and his competitors perspective.

“It really puts it into perspective, so that they don’t have tunnel vision and say, ‘Oh, I’m here to play cards or I’m here to trade.’ And we go, ‘No, we’re here for a little bit more.’ You know, we have the privilege to where we can spend $50 to $100 on a deck, or we can buy a fancy new deck box, or a play mat. Or we spend that $10 every week to come play. Why don’t we spend a little bit more and make sure the people in this community that you play at on the south side are taken care of?” Darus said.

Darus says he has made countless friends through his reintegration into this hobby he enjoyed as a child. He will be part of two weddings this year from friends he has met solely through card games. 

“They’ve been my best friends for the past four or five years. If I didn’t start picking up card games as an adult, I would have never known these people,” Darus said.