The world is a better place when kids in hospitals have access to play. And this week, we invite you to join thousands of gamers across the internet who are uniting to provide entertainment to families receiving care.
Starting today, March 20th, through Sunday, March 26th, we’re partnering with hundreds of streamers to support kids receiving medical treatment. During the final two days of this marathon, we’ll be gathering for an in-person LAN party alongside the online streams to celebrate all that’s been accomplished.
Together, we’re hoping to raise as much as $1 million dollars to bring video games into hospitals.
At Gamers Outreach – we believe in the value of play, and the power gamers have to make an impact. It’s through play we socialize, learn, and make sense of the world. Play is especially important for kids as they mature. But in hospitals, making play readily available can be a challenge. Physical space is limited, healthcare workers must focus on treatment, and financial resources are often needed elsewhere. During hospitalization, kids often lose access to friends, school, and moments that define childhood.
We’re on a mission to change their experience.
Video games make play accessible at scale. When hospitals can effectively manage gaming experiences, play can be made available to all kids, often regardless of age or physical circumstance. Our goal is to build a world where games are fully integrated with hospitals. We want all kids to have access to play.
The great news is that future is tangible. But it’s up to us as gamers to make it real.
Over the years, many of you have helped raise millions of dollars in support of gaming experiences for kids. On average, more than 80% of those funds have been attributed directly towards our programs. Since our founding in 2007, Gamers Outreach has been able to build a presence in nearly 400 healthcare facilities around the world. We estimate our devices enable as many as 4.5 million play sessions for kids each year.
All those gaming experiences are made possible thanks to a combination of four programs we’ve chosen to prioritize.
- The first of those is our GO Karts, or Gamers Outreach Karts. These are portable kiosks that help hospitals manage hardware within their facilities.
- The second is Player 2. This is a specialized volunteer initiative connecting gamers with opportunities to provide tech assistance in hospitals.
- The third is Save Point, high-tech vending machines that distribute prizing and loot to kids as they progress through treatment.
- And the fourth is Portal, which we’ve been incubating to help hospitals manage video game content across hundreds of rooms.
In the last number of months, we’ve received hundreds of inquiries from hospitals looking to upgrade their gaming offerings to patients. During Gamers for Giving 2023, we want to make progress towards meeting their requests.
Here’s a look at our Fundraising Milestones for this year’s event:
- Raising up to $500,000 dollars will enable us to provide GO Karts for as many as 100 hospitals on our wishlist. We’ll also be able to apply upgrades to an allotment of our older GO Karts, that are due for new games, consoles, and controllers. Lastly, at this level we’ll have the necessary resources to ensure our first Save Point machine stays fully stocked in the year ahead.
- If we reach $750,000 raised, we’ll be able to deploy two more Save Point machines in hospitals later this year. We’ll also be able to equip volunteers in 53 hospitals for Player 2 service.
- Finally – if the full $1 million marker is hit, we’ll be able to deploy GO Karts to international facilities throughout 2023. We expect to deliver anywhere between 50 – 75 units pending shipment costs.
Our team is eager to chase down these goals with all of you, and we hope you’ll consider getting involved this week. Whether you’re streaming from home, watching a broadcast, or joining us at the LAN, we want to thank you for being a part of this effort. Everyone’s involvement creates an impact for kids receiving care.
One day we’ll all look back and ask “remember when hospitals didn’t have video games?”
Here’s how you can help us get there:
- Make a donation here to help us achieve our goal!
- Create a campaign by visiting our Tiltify page. This is where we can view all of the fundraisers and track donations during the event! If you are streaming during the event, you can download the asset guide and stream assets here.
- Spread the word & join the conversation on Twitter by using the #GFG2023 hashtag!
See you around this week!