ONE MORE BUMP

There's no better time to donate than right now.

Even though we are a week removed from our video game marathon, there's been a bump to the donations meter.

Sitting now at $440, we are within reach of the $500 goal.  Donations are still being accepted until the end of the year.  

Tank you very much to those who have donated and those who have taken the time to check out our page.

Happy Halloween!!!

FINAL TALLY

The 2014 Extra Life video game marathon is now over.  What an experience.

This trip began back in the summer when my nephew and I learned about the fundraising efforts of video gamers all over the world raising money for Children's Miracle Network hospitals everywhere.  We decided it would be an event we would jump on board with.  Something we could do together.

We spent the next few weeks drumming up support.....and donations.  And we are thrilled with the results.

For the past week, my nephew has been coming home from school and dedicating 2 hours a night towards this marathon - 10 hours total.  The on Saturday, October 25 he (and a few of his friends) played a marathon gaming session of 14 hours.  8:00am until 10:00pm local time....giving a grand total of 24 hours.

He was having so much fun and his efforts didn't go unnoticed. 

After all the numbers were tallied, he raised $390 for the Alberta Children's Hospital.  A fantastic effort.  And because he surpassed the $200 mark, he will receive the official Extra Life 2014 marathon t-shirt.

That's pretty sweet.

But I'd like to share some other final (more bigger picture) numbers to give you a sense of the scale, scope and necessity of what all these gamers are doing.

Kyle was one of 56 participants playing on Team Extra Life Calgary 2014.  That group raised over $15,000 (smashing the goal set of $10,000) and there are still donations trickling in.

An even bigger look shows that Extra Life gamers all over the world raised over $5 million in 2014.

Let me repeat that.......$5 million.

Anyone who thinks video games can't make a difference.......game over.

My nephew and I would like to once again thank everyone who took a moment to look at what we have done over the past few weeks.  We'd like to thank you for the kinds words of support.  And we would like to thank those who donated to a great cause.

We have already decided that we will be back in 2015 looking to make the event bigger and better.

Have a good one!

AND THAT'S A WRAP!!!

It's 10:00pm local time.  We are done and done.

14 hours of video gaming has come to an end.

Final tally over the next day or so.

Time to rest.

Thanks everyone for the support!!!

AND WE HAVE A WINNER!!!!

The Atari has been put to bed for the night.  I can't believe how long a bunch of Grade 8's played that vintage game.

After 3 hours of classic fun, the boys raised $15 in quarters (some dimes and nickels too)...all of which will go towards the big goal of $500.

And I also have a prize to announce. 

Part of the Atari challenge included a High Score board.  Three games....three high scores.

All the top scorer names went in a hat and the host with the most made the draw.

Congratulations Tristen.  Well done.  You receive a $20 gift certificate to EB Games.

Happy gaming!



Still a few hours left to donate.  Let's hit that goal!!!

7 Down...7 To Go

We are halfway through the 14-hour marathon video gaming day.

I thought I'd change things up a bit with an old school Atari session.  Complete with a high score board and everything.

The kids are having a blast....and raising money at the same time.

It's really quite simple.

Three games were chosen to be games for the High Score Board.  Berzerk, Ms. Pac Man and Space Invaders were chosen.

The kids take turn playing.  They can choose any game they want (I've brought more than 20 over).  If they want to try for the High Score Board though, they have to not only play one of the three chosen games.....but put a quarter into the container.

They play......and if they get the high score, they put their name and score on the board.

Once the gaming is through, I'll take the names of the three high scorers and put them in a hat.  One name will be drawn and the winner will get a prize.

Sounds fun?  Well it is. 

And the best part.....all the quarters raised will be donated towards our $500 goal.

There's still time to donate.  Thanks for taking a moment to check in.

WE'VE HIT $300!!!

With a little over eight hours to go, we have hit the $300 fundraising mark.  That is fantastic!

Once again, thank you to everyone who has taken the time to donate.  All money raised will go to the Alberta Children's Hospital.

Let me repeat that...

ALL MONEY RAISED.  100%.

All donations are tax deductible as well.  So it's like a double bonus.

Speaking of double bonus....I think I'll head up to the game room and kick my nephew's butt in a little old school Atari.  I'm planning on setting up a little "quarter arcade" to see if they can compete with The Master.....1983 version.

We'll get a few more dollars in donations and I've got a prize for the player who snags the high score on the day.

Thanks again for all your help today!

HALFWAY THERE

Just a couple hours into our marathon session and we have hit the $250 mark - halfway to our fundraising goal.

Thank you very much to those who have donated.

There's still lots of time left and many games to be played.

Let the good times roll!!!!

IT'S HERE!!!!!!

In a little less than 9 hours, my nephew will begin his marathon day of video gaming to raise awareness (and funds) for the Alberta Children's Hospital.

While we are a little short on our $500 fundraising goal, we have had some great words of encouragement and have indeed made a difference.

I'd like to personally thank everyone who has taken a moment to look into this great cause, donated some funds and given us some positive comments.

I'll try to update this blog a few times to let you all know how things are going.

For now.....time to sleep.

LESS THAN A WEEK AWAY

Boy time sure does fly!

We are less than a week away from Kyle's big marathon day of gaming.  I think I got him a little more pumped up for the event by cracking out the ol' Atari system yesterday.

Yeah, he was definitely looking at the beast like it was some sort of vintage contraption.......which it totally is.

My Atari system has been with me since I was a kid.  It was the best on the block (actually, it was pretty much the only thing on the block).  But I remember some of the games like it was yesterday.

Yars Revenge (all-time fave)
Defender
Missile Command
Combat
Ms. Pac Man
Bezerk
Space Invaders
Donkey Kong
Frogger
Kangaroo
Pole Position
Ice Hockey

And that's just to name a few.  Overall, I think I've got about 20 titles, all of which will make for an even more enjoyable day of gaming Saturday.

Thank you very much to those who have donated recently.  It was a little sluggish over the past couple weeks, but we are still plugging away towards our goal.

The final push is this week.  I'll be sure to keep everyone informed as to what we are doing leading up to and including the big day.

IT'S ALL FOR A GREAT CAUSE

We've cracked the quarter mark of our goal tonight!  A sincere THANK YOU to everyone who has donated to this point.  We're continuing to talk to friends, family, co-workers and....well....quite frankly anyone who we think might be interested in hearing about this great fundraising effort.

I'd like to take a moment to give people a "bigger picture" look at what my nephew is looking to accomplish.

To me, this is not about sitting in front of a screen for a full day, button mashing to his heart's content and zoning out on a Saturday.

This video gaming marathon is about doing our small part in raising money for the Alberta Children's Hospital.  It's about introducing my nephew to the benefits of doing something in a selfless manner - helping others.  It's about awareness - on all fronts.

To those who might be disappointed that this isn't a "fun run" or a skate-a-thon or a bake sale or a math olympics.....but rather an excuse for sitting and playing video games, I ask that you please take a moment to consider the bigger picture.

It's hard to overlook the $4 million Extra Life raised as a community in 2013.  That is a lot of money - going to a lot of hospitals - going to a lot of kids who desperately need it.

In my eyes, it's more than a worthwhile cause.

Let's share the message and get the word out about this marathon gaming day on Saturday, October 25.  For more information, visit www.extra-life.org

Thank you again for your time and donations.  It is very much appreciated.