Xbox Video Gaming Event to Raise Funds for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals

Press release (Oct. 10, 2011) — Nearly 10,000 gamers participated in the Xbox 360 Gaming and Giving for Good (G3) event Saturday, Oct. 1, to kick off support for Extra Life, a Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals gaming fundraiser on Oct. 15. The charity raises funds for 170 children’s hospitals across North America. Each G3 and Extra Life participant is asked to raise money for their local Children’s Miracle Network Hospital by securing donations for each hour they play video games on the designated days.

As part of the G3 event, all G3 participants received a free Xbox LIVE Membership the weekend of Oct. 1. Xbox also hosted a series of Game with Fame activities at the G3 Miracle Lounge in Los Angeles, where Xbox LIVE members had an opportunity to play video games on Xbox 360 with more than 40 celebrities including Eva Longoria, Ryan Phillippe and Olympian Carol Rodriguez. GameStop also held in-store events with professional basketball players Brandon Roy, Shawn Marion, Landry Fields and Andrew Bynum to raise awareness and drive participation. A number of other sponsors supported fundraising, such as Hulu and 2K.

“I was thrilled to participate in the G3 event in support of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals,” said Mitchell Koch, corporate vice president of the Worldwide Retail Sales and Marketing Group for the Entertainment and Devices Division of Microsoft Corp. “As a member of the Board of Governors for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, it’s been inspiring to see thousands of Xbox LIVE members from across the country band together for this important cause.”

This was G3’s first year as a participating member of Extra Life. Since 2008, Microsoft and its employees have supported Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals with more than $1.6 million via fundraising programs and in-kind support (product & software), employee funds, volunteer time and Microsoft matching funds.

So far this year, G3 and Extra Life combined have already raised $600,000 for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. More than 17,000 people have signed up for the two events, representing gamers from every state.

Extra Life was created to honor the late Victoria (Tori) Enmon, a 15-year-old girl who played video games during her battle with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

“Extra Life carries on Tori’s legacy, as it inspires people of all ages to have fun playing video games while joining together to save the lives of kids in our local communities,” said Jeromy Adams, founder of Extra Life, a Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals program director and video game blogger at sarcasticgamer.com. “We are thrilled to have Xbox 360 and G3 creating support for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.”

Gamers are encouraged to take breaks throughout the event and to implement any applicable safety measures. If an individual is unable to play the full 24 hours on Oct. 15, he or she can make up the time later or even play before the official launch.

For more information, to participate in Extra Life or donate to the cause, visit www.extra-life.org or www.CMNHospitals.org.