EDMONTON –
Saturday is Game Day for gamers participating in Extra Life, a 24-hour gaming marathon raising money for the Children’s Miracle Network, including the Stollery Children’s Hospital in Edmonton.
This year is the 10th anniversary for Extra Life Edmonton, which has around 700 people raising money for the Stollery this year.
“To be able to do anything to help them out it feels amazing,” said Luc Tremblay, who is part of Extra Life Edmonton’s team this year. “There probably isn’t a better cause I can think of than helping sick and injured children so it’s a no brainer for me.”
This year, Extra Life Edmonton hopes to hit a fundraising goal of $75,000. The team has raised close to $2 million over the past 10 years.
“We’re so close, so we’re just asking everybody to keep pushing, keep fundraising,” said Lisa Hawthorne, president of the Edmonton Extra Life Guild.
Extra Life began in 2008, in 2014 there were over 100,000 participants and in 2020, gamers had raised over $87 million USD in total.
Hawthorne, who has been part of Extra Life Edmonton since its inception, has been able to see where the money raised goes and said it makes the experience that much more rewarding.
“The surgical ward got a new splash of bright blue paint and a new tech savvy way to contact parents and patients – it makes that process a little less scary for the families and children,” said Hawthorne.
“It’s incredibly heartwarming to see that impact and just the joy that we can bring through gaming and fundraising at the same time, it’s kind of the best of both worlds.”
According to participants, the last few hours, usually around 3 a.m. Sunday, can be hard, so Hawthorne gave a few tips to her fellow participants.
“Just going for a (quick) walk, taking a stretch… hydrating, that’s kind of how we push through, just get moving.”
Extra Life Edmonton is streaming the 24-hour experience on their website, where people can also donate, with 100 per cent of the proceeds going directly to the Stollery.
There are 170 hospitals across the U.S. and Canada that are part of the Children’s Miracle Network. As of 6:41 p.m. Saturday, over $9 million USD had been raised in 2021 so far.
With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Ryan Harding
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