25 straight hours of play at Edmonton Stollery Children’s Hospital – Edmonton

A group of excited people woke up in Edmonton early Saturday, all for a good cause.

Gamers were dropped off at 6 a.m. to play video games for 25 hours straight in support of Stollery Children’s Hospital.

“We have about 80 players sitting here and playing their favorite games. They have pledged to fundraise throughout the evening and also throughout the year,” Lisa Hawthorne, president of Extra Life Edmonton, said Saturday. She says the popularity of the event has skyrocketed in recent years.

“We started in a small area and had 30 players come out. By 2019, we had about 250 players in that space.

4:40Play games and treat the kids with Extra Life Edmonton Game Day

Extra Life Edmonton has taken over the Ice Palace at West Edmonton Mall with the goal of raising patronage at the Stollery for a 12th year.

“The money goes toward the wonderful programs at the hospital, wonderful equipment to help children, training, teaching and research,” said Lindsay Dodd, trustee of the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation.

Participants were able to participate from their homes and the game session was a marathon. Participant Carey Young is one of many who have come up with a game plan to stay awake, which involves several energy drinks. But Young said it’s worth it to help support local health care.

“I mean, raising money for kids is huge, hearing the stories and also how it impacts families and young people,” Young said.

Extra Life is an initiative Where people play games to raise money for the local children’s hospital. Edmonton President Hawthorne said she was inspired to participate because of a family member.

“My nephew is on the autism spectrum, so he comes to Stollery a lot. My nieces and nephews have been there too, so they are there for every parent,” Hawthorne said.

1:49The Alberta boy, beneficiary of the Stollery fundraiser, is sharing the proceeds with the Little Warriors

Nearly $3 million has been raised for Stollery since the fundraiser began more than a decade ago.

“This is a community that you might not see on amusement rides, you might not see them at big parties, but they are very committed to raising money for kids and they do it this year after year,” Dodd said.

“They’ve been here for years to make a lot of money. Whether they’re here at the mall or at home, they’re all committed to playing games for 25 hours straight.

Extra Life players will be playing and accepting donations throughout Saturday night. The fundraiser ends at 6 on Sunday.

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