After operating as a mobile charity for several years, the Pinball Outreach Project has opened a family-friendly arcade space at 4605 NE Fremont Street. The unique 501(c)(3) public charity is also called “POP”—a reference to the pop bumpers in a machine. Their mission: To improve children’s lives by sharing the history of and excitement for the game of pinball. I spoke with Founder and Executive Director Nicole Reik about her one-of-a-kind approach to working with children and communities by using pinball for good times and good deeds.
What inspired you to launch a pinball-themed charity?
For the past four years I’ve been in the world of competitive pinball. I’ve traveled the country participating in leagues and tournaments. A few years ago I was living in the Bay Area and wanted to do something positive for kids. I decided to create a traveling program that goes to hospitals and other community or non-profit organizations. I started collecting and borrowing pinball machines to bring them to children’s hospitals on a visiting basis.
How do you get the machines to different hospitals?
The machines weigh about 300 pounds each. We take off the legs, turn them onto their backs, take off the head, wheel them on a hand truck, and toss them into my car (I drive a VW SUV). Then we set it up in a playroom at the hospital. People have probably seen us driving down Fremont wondering what we’re doing! We recently drove up to Children’s Hospital in Seattle. I also fly down to Children’s in Orange County. When I go there, I just borrow games from the local community because I know people with pinball machines.
Why Portland?
Portland has more pinball locations than any other place in the world, meaning that there are more machines accessible to the public than anywhere else. But because they’re often inside bars with an age restriction, a lot of those games aren’t accessible full-time to kids. Other than a few arcades (such as Ground Kontrol), there wasn’t any family-friendly, kid-focused space to play pinball in Portland. I’d been doing some work with the Portland-based Children’s Cancer Association, taking pinball to their events and helping raise money for their programs. After gathering machines for two years, I wanted something to do with them in between hospital visits. So I opened POP here.
How did you choose Beaumont-Wilshire for your POP location?
I was actively looking for a space in a family-friendly neighborhood where we could become part of the community. I live in NE Portland as well and we’ve had such a friendly reception from the neighborhood. We already have lots of volunteers. I feel really welcomed. Our space is truly a community space because many machines are on loan from people in this neighborhood. And it’s great being next to Smallwares/Barwares, too. When the sun is out and our doors are open, people like to come back and forth between us.
Tell me more about the free pinball for kids!
When I opened the space, I wondered how I could do more outreach, make it more accessible and get the word out, so I decided to make it free for kids. We try to offer free play sessions every day during the two hours that we are open unless there is a private event. It’s completely free for all kids aged 13 and younger. Another great thing about POP is that our games are all family-themed. There isn’t any violence like you might see in video games. It’s about making the kids feel good. We’re here every Tuesday–Sunday, but check the website before you visit because hours vary: www.pinballoutreach.org.
Do you help the kids learn how to play?
Yes! We are teachers of pinball. We play with them and teach them different skills. We open up the machines—take off the glass and pull the playfields, show them the wires and computer chips and how they work. There’s a lot you can learn about math and statistics, geometry, strategy, and art, not to mention sharing, teambuilding, and people skills. This summer I’m teaching a weeklong pinball camp for kids aged 5-16 with a 13-year-old who is one of the best pinball players in Oregon. The camp runs from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. from August 10-14.
How can I get started in the world of competitive pinball?
Anyone who comes to our space can enter our play-as-you-go league. You just have to play six games, write down your scores, and then you become a world-ranked pinball player! That means you get a number and your name goes on the Internet and you can see yourself move up the pinball rankings as you play. We also have a high score wall in the space. But it’s all about making the kids feel good. We’re here to promote the fun of pinball—not being good at it.
The pinball community sounds very welcoming. Is that true?
Yes, it’s an inclusive community even though we’re competing. Those of us in the pinball community think it’s the greatest thing in the world. We eat, sleep, and breathe pinball; talk about it online; and watch it on TV. It’s our lives. Everyone is always helping and swapping tips. PAPA (the Professional Amateur Pinball Association) puts out videos that we stream at our space. The current world pinball champion is a friend of POP and visits us sometimes. (The IFPA—International Flipper Pinball Association—does the world rankings.) He donated a machine and designed our logo.
How can folks support POP?
We offer party rentals of the space on NE Fremont to raise money for the outreach (and also to pay the rent)! It’s a perfect space for kids’ birthdays, grown-up parties, corporate events—pinball is a really good icebreaker environment. If you book a party, you’ll be helping to support the outreach and the free pinball program. It’s a win-win. The website also has a wish list of items we need and volunteer opportunities too. We also accept direct cash donations.
Thanks for a supremely awesome and inspiring interview, Nicole!