Depending on which sites you frequent on the inter-webs, you may or may not be familiar with the Extra Life event. The event was started by Jeromy “Doc” Adams, the owner and founder of SarcasticGamer.com, and has been running for a few years and brings gamers together once a year to raise money for the Children’s Miracle Network and to help the fight against pediatric cancer.
The event was born on the forums of Gamercast Network back in 2006 when Doc got a bunch of us together to donate some games to a special young lady by the name of Victoria Enmon during the Holiday season. Victoria was hospitalized during her battle with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (A.L.L.) over the Holiday season that year and Doc had come to know her during his many charitable efforts with the Texas Children’s Hospital. In an attempt to brighten Victoria’s holiday, since she was going to have to face it undergoing painful cancer procedures in the hospital, Doc simply asked if anyone would be willing to donate any new or used Nintendo DS video games for her to use during her stay. What started as a call for a few small donations turned into something bigger than any of us could have ever imagined; Victoria was flooded with games and gifts from not only those of us at the Gamercast Network, but from all over the internet.
In the true, gracious spirit of giving, Victoria in turn donated her gifts to the Hospital for future patients at the end of her stay. We had truly managed to help this beautiful young lady during one of the hardest periods of time in her young life. Unfortunately, Victoria lost her battle to cancer just over a year later, in the beginning of 2008. In Victoria’s honor, Doc founded the Extra Life campaign later that year to raise money for the fight against pediatric cancer and for the Texas Children’s Hospital. Once again, the reception and outcome of the event was far beyond anything anyone involved could have imagined. In its first two years, Extra Life raised over $300,000 that went to support not only the Texas Children’s Hospital, but the entire Children’s Miracle Network. This year will mark the third year of the event and it is happening in just a few short weeks.
On Saturday, October 16, 2010, gamers from all over the world will unite online for a 24 hour video game marathon to raise money for their local Children’s Miracle Network hospital. All of the proceeds raised from the event go to the CMN. It is my hope that everyone reading this will get involved in some sort of manner. There are many options for getting involved, either as a participant or as a supporter. If you are interested in either playing or donating, please head on over to the official Extra Life page and get involved accordingly. At the official site, you can either sign up to participate yourself or perhaps sponsor a participant of your choosing. I will be participating in the event myself to raise money for the Nationwide Children’s Hospital here in Columbus, Ohio. I have started a team in the event on behalf of Gaming Nexus and you can find our donation page at this link.
