First of all, I'd like to thank all of our donors and team members for participating in this year's Extra Life charity marathon. The Co-Optimus community and staff continue to impress me with their desire to give to those who need it, and for that I am very thankful. Together, our team has raised $2,038 so far. We're still accepting donations until December 31, so there's still time to get your tax deductible donation in, and to help us reach our team goal of $2,500.

The Extra Life marathon started about an hour ago on the east coast, and those of us in the central timezone are about to start. There's still time to donate! We're still about $1,000 short of our goal, so please donate. All donations go straight to the Children's Miracle Network Hospital that the participant chooses.

Tomorrow morning, we're all starting our 25 hour Extra Life marathon. We're half way to our team goal of $2,500, and we need your help to go all the way. Please take a few minutes to read about our team members, and donate to Extra Life through one of their pages. Clicking on their names or picture will take you straight to their page.

Asking people to donate, whether it’s money or time, is not a simple task. I find that clear, concise messages work best, but sometimes it takes more than that to convince people that a cause is worthy of reaching deep in their pockets. The Extra Life marathon is definitely a worthy cause, but people tend to get hung up on a few details. When I ask people to donate or join, I often hear the same excuses or questions. Here’s a quick rundown of those, and why you shouldn’t worry.

Playing video games for 25 hours straight may seem like the laziest thing a person could do, but the truth is, it’s extremely difficult. The first few hours are no problem, but when you get into the teens, your body starts shutting down because it thinks it needs sleep. Too bad we can’t just tell our bodies that we’re gaming for a...

Co-Optimus staff and community members are teaming up, once again, to raise money for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals by participating in Extra Life. Last year our team raised a total of $2,163.75, and our goal for this year is $2,500. Help us reach that goal by joining our team or donating.