On Saturday, November 6, 2021, local gamers of all levels are uniting to save and improve the lives of kids treated at the Mohawk Valley Health System (MVHS). The event will take place from 10 a.m., Saturday, November 6 to 10 a.m., Sunday, November 7, 2021, in the Dining and Community Hall (PC 150), at Mohawk Valley Community College, Rome Campus, 1101 Floyd Ave, Rome, New York.
The event is hosted by Extra Life, a Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals (CMN) fundraising program which provides game-loving locals a fun way to support CMN. Participants from the group called Phoenix Overdrive, which consists of avid gamers, have special gaming activities planned to raise funds for CMN at MVHS. The activities include raffles, game tournaments, game challenges and live streaming of game play for 24 hours.
“We will begin our day at 10 a.m. on Saturday and will go all 24, well, 25 hours thanks to daylight savings time, until 10 a.m. on Sunday,” said Lee Alexander Navarro, technical coordinator for Phoenix Overdrive. “We are expecting close to 40 individuals to participate in Game Day with us from Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and as far away as Edmonton, Canada. As a team, we hope to raise more than $5,000 for CMN at MVHS.”
The virtual marathon is a fundraising program of CMN. This program leverages the passion of the gaming community to rally support for the 170 member hospitals. Participants fundraise year-round and pledge a day of gaming with one goal: to save and improve the lives of sick and injured kids. Extra Lifers have raised more than $70 million dollars for its member hospitals since the program was founded by gamers in 2008. The secure donations fund the selected hospital’s greatest needs, often including pediatric medical equipment, research, therapy programs and charitable care.
Interested participants can register at Extra-Life.org, select MVHS as their preferred CMN Hospital, set a fundraising goal and collect donations throughout the year for kids in need. Learn more about CMN at MVHS and how donations are saving kids’ lives at mvhealthsystem.org/CMN.