For our third consecutive year, Co-Optimus staff and community are participating in Extra Life to help raise money for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. The past two years, we raised a little over $2,000 each year, and we're shooting for $2,500 this year. You can help us exceed our goal by donating or joining our team.
Extra Life is a 24 hour gaming marathon where gamers team up and raise money for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals all over the country. This year the marathon takes place on October 25th. Last year, the event raised an astonishing $4 million despite multiple DDOS attacks on the site on game day. All of those donations went to CMN Hostpitals to help kids fight terrible diseases like cancer and leukemia, or to give premature babies a fighting chance at life. These donations have huge effects on the lives of sick children and their families. Check out the following video for the touching story of Extra Life's beginning.
Every year I get tons of questions about how the marathon works. It's really quite simple. All you need to do is head on over to our team page, and click "Join Our Team" at the top. During the registration process, you'll be asked to pick a hospital. You can pick your local Children's Miracle Network Hospital, or any other CMN hospital on the list. Personalize your fundraising page to your liking, then tell your family, friends, co-workers, and fellow gamers that you're raising donations for sick kids. Send them a link to your fundraising page and watch the donations roll in. On game day, October 25th, link up with other team members and enjoy 24 hours of gaming.
Of course, if October 25th doesn't work for you, there are plenty of other options. You could play the following weekend, split the 24 hours over several days, split the 24 hours with 3 friends, or just play as long as you can. When it comes down to it, the gaming really doesn't matter. Extra Life is all about raising money for sick kids.
If you're not interested in participating but still want to make a difference, you can make a donation on our team page by selecting your favorite participant from the roster and clicking "Support Me" on their page.
Regardless of your level of participation, we're inviting everyone to come game with us on October 25th, any time of the day. We'll be playing all kinds of games and we're going to need all the company we can get in order to last the full 24 hours. A few of us will be streaming, so even if you can't join us, you can watch us play all day right on the front page of Co-Optimus (or on our Twitch channel). More information on our participation in the event can be found on our Extra Life 2014 page.
Please consider joining and/or donating! Extra Life is a great cause, and these kids need all the help the can get.