GameChanger and Child’s Play Launch “Gamers Give Back Tour” to Support Hospitals across the Country
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Charities Team Up to Donate Gifts and Inspire Hope, Reaching More
than 4,000 Patients, Families and Staff -
Tour to visit 15 Hospitals through 2015, additional 60 visits
planned for 2016
SANTA ANA, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–In recognition of Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month, GameChanger,
a nonprofit that taps into the generosity of the video game industry to
improve the lives of children with life-threatening illnesses, today
announced a partnership with Child’s
Play to launch the Gamers Give Back Tour.
Funded by members of the gaming community – including video game
creators, gaming platforms and gamers from across the country, the Gamers
Give Back Tour includes Gamers Give Back Days, which provides
Skylander toys, Loot Crate boxes, Vinci Education tablets, Innex small
gaming toys, and more to patients, families and staff. Reaching a total
of 15 Children’s Hospitals across the United States this year, an
additional 60 visits are expected in 2016.
“During my son’s five-year battle with Leukemia, I experienced firsthand
the kindness of strangers and hospital staff, which in turn inspired the
birth of GameChanger,” said Jim Carol, CEO and founder of GameChanger.
“Now coming full circle, we’re funneling this same kindness to others
battling with life threatening diseases through the Gamers Give Back
Tour. I couldn’t think of anything more appropriate to kick off
during Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month.”
Each Gamers Give Back Day is an uplifting celebration that brings
smiles, hope and lasting memories to every hospital visited. Both
charities invite their donors, volunteers and celebrities to the events,
allowing the gaming community to participate in a variety of activities
that include distributing delicious catered meals, delivering
age-appropriate gifts to patients in their hospital beds and personally
interacting with inspiring young individuals ultimately resulting in a
truly life-changing, eye-opening experience for all.
“Reaching 15 national hospitals this year, we’re incredibly excited to
partner with GameChanger and to see this partnership grow to reach 60
hospitals in 2016,” said Robert Khoo, Managing Director of Child’s Play.
“Although we have more than 100 hospitals in the Child’s Play network,
visiting the facilities we impact is something we always wish we could
do more of. Partnering with GameChanger gives us that opportunity, and
we couldn’t thank them more for making this tour possible.”
The Tour was announced following positive feedback from initial visits
at CHOC and the St. Louis Children’s Hospital. Now, the Tour will make
the following stops before the end of the year:
- October 23: Children’s Hospital of Birmingham
- November 13: Boston Children’s Hospital
- November 25: Montefiore Medical Center
- December 12: Seattle Children’s Hospital
Additional stops in 2015 will include Arizona Children’s Center
(Phoenix, Ariz.), Children’s Hospital Denver, Children’s National
Medical Center (Washington, DC), Cleveland Clinic, Dell Children’s
(Austin, Tex.), Metro Health (Wyoming, Mich.), Miller Children’s (Long
Beach, Calif.) and Randall Children’s (Portland, Ore.). Stops in 2016
will be announced at a later time.
To learn more about GameChanger, please visit: gamechangercharity.org.
To learn more about Child’s Play, please visit: childsplaycharity.org.
To learn more about the Gamers Give Back Tour, please click here.
GameChanger
GameChanger’s mission is to positively impact the lives of pediatric
cancer patients through the gaming community. GameChanger focuses on
improving quality of life by delivering repurposed electronic goods to
patients as well as financial support to families. Additionally,
GameChanger hosts digital events that inspire sick kids to partake in
monumental gaming experiences with influencers. Powered by the
generosity of the gaming community and global corporations, GameChanger
processes over 100 tons of donated goods annually. Founded in 2007,
GameChanger was created by Jim Carol after witnessing the impact of
video games throughout his son’s five-year battle with Leukemia.
Child’s Play
Child’s Play is dedicated to improving the lives of children in
traumatic situations through the generosity of the video game community
and the power of play. Since 2003, Child’s Play has raised over $35
million for children in hospitals and domestic violence facilities
around the world, working to provide age-appropriate entertainment for
kids who need it most.
Contacts
FleishmanHillard
Samantha Toth, 949-855-5997
Samantha.Toth@fleishman.com
or
Geoff
Mordock, 949-855-5995
Geoff.Mordock@fleishman.com
