As many of you are aware, the core of GameChanger’s mission has always been to support children, families, and caregivers through the power of gaming and tech. In light of the recent wildfires in Hawaii, GameChanger is extending its reach to provide crucial support to those in need during these tough times.

The fires in Hawaii have brought widespread devastation, which is significantly impacting the lives of countless children and families, leaving many hospitalized, without homes, or with loved ones. Our hearts go out to those affected, and we are determined to do everything in our power to help.

Throughout the past sixteen years, we have witnessed firsthand the incredible impact gaming can have on children’s well-being, serving as an important source of comfort, distraction, and joy during challenging times. In light of the situation in Maui and on the Big Island, we have made the decision to direct all donations received this week (8/13 to 8/20) towards supporting the children, families, and caregivers impacted by this disaster.

On top of directing donations, we have pledged 100 years of gaming to Kapiolani Medical Center through the form of Xbox Ultimate Game Passes. Thanks to Xbox, these Game Passes will allow patients to game through the cloud on any device they are provided with, allowing for access to 100s of premium gaming titles right from their hospital bed. 

Hospital and Donation Information

The Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children, located in Honolulu, is Hawaii’s only specialty care facility for women and children, and is committed to serving all islands. According to sources, many of those affected by the tragedy in Maui and Big Island are being transported to The Kapiolani Medical Center. 

Donations made to GameChanger this week will bring gaming, books, clothes, toys, and other items to hospitalized children, their families, and caregivers. Donations will help cover shipping/packing costs, and will go toward providing as many goodies as possible for children to enjoy.  Every three people that donate $40 will ship a box of games, clothes, books, toys, and other goodies to kids at Kapiolani Medical Center. We ask for your support so that we can send as many items as possible, as fast as possible, to as many children as possible.

If you would like to make a physical donation of goods, whether it be clothes, gaming items, collectibles, books, or toys, please contact us.

We implore you to support the children, families, and caregivers in need during this difficult time. If you would like to make a contribution, please locate the “Donate” button on the bottom right of our site.. We also request you pass this along to friends and family who may be interested in supporting our relief fund. 

Thank you for your continued support. Please keep those affected by the wildfires in your thoughts.

The post Games & Goodies to Those Affected by Hawaii Wildfires first appeared on GameChanger Charity.

Even Huggy, UCDCH’s lovable therapy dog, joined in on the action, making the experience more memorable. Brent and Jacob were able to create and distribute 24 thoroughly curated gift bags, each one tailored to suit the specific age, needs, and preferred gaming console of the recipient. This ensured they received the perfect surprise – a gift bag of goodies that could be used during their hospital stays and brought home with them after they’re released! Each gift bag included a video game, two pieces of gaming-related clothing, a book, and a toy/trinket. 

GameChanger is deeply committed to making a difference in the lives of hospitalized children by bringing happiness and a sense of normalcy to children through the power of gaming. We are lucky to have the support of talented individuals like Brent and Jacob committed to the mission. 

Thank you to Brent and Jacob Carlson, UC Davis Children’s Hospital, Huggy the dog, and everyone involved for making this drop-off as easy and as impactful as possible. Together, we can change the game and leave the world a better place than we found it – one child at a time.

The post This Week at GameChanger: UC Davis Children’s Hospital Drop-off first appeared on GameChanger Charity.

The Gaming for Good month is upon us! During the month of June, we will be hosting streams, events, activities, and other ways to showcase the good of the gaming community… And everyone is invited to participate! 

Throughout the month, you’ll be able to support and rep GameChanger on multiple different platforms in multiple different ways. This includes our debut of “Why GameChanger?” This is a new program that everyone is able to contribute to and participate in, even if you can’t donate directly to the cause. We’ll also be hosting MineChanger, a Minecraft event in collaboration with 1N Productions and 52 Minecraft content creators, including many familiar faces! You also won’t want to miss out on supporting GameChanger by watching some content creators who will be streaming to support the cause throughout the month. This is all taking place in the first half of the Gaming for Good month! We’re going to keep the rest of the activities a surprise, but keep your eyes out for some exciting things to come. If you feel you may miss some of the events, but still want to show your support you can always donate HERE: https://tiltify.com/gamechanger! 

Remember the Date

During Gaming for Good, each week will have a different agenda, so we’ve compiled most of them here to help you keep track. Some of these are subject to change and new events may be added/removed, so we highly recommend following us on social media to help stay on top of any events you may be interested in participating in or watching. We hope to see you around! JOIN NOW: discord.gg/gdpHUcDRXM 

June 1-2: Gaming for Good Begins and Discord Debut 

To celebrate the beginning of Gaming for Good month, we’ll be re-launching the GameChanger Discord server. This will be a community of positivity where anyone is welcome! Be sure to join for exclusive giveaways, activities, and more! 

June 3-11: Gaming for Good Streams

We’re excited to have an incredible lineup of content creators joining the GameChanger cause for these next couple of weekends! Be sure to check all of them out and show your support. 

Regedice: June 3 & 10 @ 7pm EST:

Regedice is a League of Legends streamer who has reached the highest rank in the game for four seasons in the game’s history. He is rank 34 on the North American ranked ladder! You won’t want to miss out on one of the greatest Rengar players on Twitch as he takes on solo queue while supporting GameChanger Charity! Be there or be square: https://www.twitch.tv/regedice 

PartySaurusRex: June 3 @ 6pm EST:

PartysaurusRex is an army veteran who is a Twitch Affiliate and streams variety games for his audience, like Fortnite and Rock Band. Yes, you read it right and you don’t want to miss his Rock Band streams, where he truly does put the party in PartySaurusRex. Be sure to show your support and help your favorite streamer party through the night, all in the name of GameChanger. It’s time to rock: https://www.twitch.tv/PartysaurusRex123 

FlameyHeart: June 8 @ 8pm EST:

Flamey is a very active member of the Minecraft community and has always been a big supporter of GameChanger. Remember the CaptainSparklez birthday fundraiser? She helped put that together! She is a variety streamer who plays Minecraft, Uno, and other entertaining games. Don’t miss out on the chance to support a prominent member of the community: https://www.twitch.tv/flamey 

itsameas: June 4 @ 7am EST:

Meas is a newcomer in the streaming and Minecraft community, but has grown quickly in just two months and has shown lots of enthusiasm for the GameChanger cause. Meas’ stream will go from 9PM to 9AM the next morning – an allnighter, twelve hour stream is something you don’t want to miss: https://www.twitch.tv/itsameas 

June 16 @ 4pm EST: MineChanger

To cap off the first half of Gaming for Good, we’ll be collaborating with 1N Productions on an incredible four hour Minecraft charity event, which will feature 52 of your favorite Minecraft content creators! This event will be streamed live on all of their channels, including CaptainSparklez, Systemzee, VintageBeef, and many other prominent members of the community. You DO NOT want to miss out on this one.

What’s Next?

We still have a few things up our sleeve for the second half of this month. Don’t forget to follow us on socials and subscribe to our newsletter to stay in the loop. This will be an incredible month that will not only help hospitalized kids, but showcase the positivity and good the gaming community is capable of. Get ready to change the game![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

The post GameChanger Presents: Gaming for Good Month first appeared on GameChanger Charity.

Starting on the 8th of the month, our founder Jim took on the Road Trip for Good, travelling across the western coastline to make stops at local hospitals for donations, and to pick up gifts or donations from local supporters. The trip began with a stop at the Children’s Hospital of Orange County, where we dropped off controllers, stuffed animals, and a number of other gifts for the children and staff. The trip continued on as Jim made another stop at Miller Children’s Hospital in Longbeach, dropping off more supplies and gifts for the wonderful people and children there. Up next, we made a stop at the Valley Children’s Hospital in Central California, where we were able to drop off tech equipment for their IT team and gifts for the wonderful children there. The trip continued on up the coast as we then made a stop at the Shriners Children’s Hospital of Portland, where we were able to see the beautiful city of Portland and make some great donations to the wonderful children and staff there. The trip concluded with a final stop at the Doernbecher Children’s Hospital to drop off a ton of stuffed toys, games, and gaming controllers.

We also wanted to give a special shoutout and thank you to our friends in the gaming industry, helping us spread joy to children everywhere. During the trip we were able to make stops at our friends EA & Valve, where we picked up donations and discussed some awesome things we have hopefully coming in the future! Also, we want to give a special thank you and shoutout to PowerA for their wonderful donations of controllers and custom controllers that we have absolutely loved. Thank you all so much for helping us make this first road trip for good an amazing one!

We are so grateful for the hard work that they are doing everyday to bring joy to children and fight against debilitating illness. We are looking forward to many, many more years of Changing the Game for sick children everywhere, and none of it would be happening without the support of our amazing friends and partners. Thank you all for making the first Road Trip for Good an amazing one. Check out the Highlights for the Road Trip for Good on our Twitter and Official Instagram #RoadTrip4Good Highlights.

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The post The GameChanger Road Trip 4 Good: Recap & Review first appeared on GameChanger Charity.

Dana Point, Calif., October 28, 2021 – GameChanger Charity, a nonprofit that provides relief to young patients in hospitals including their families and caregivers, today unveiled its “Road Trip for Good,” a multi-city, multi-stop campaign to raise awareness of the organization and bring hope and happiness to sick children who are currently being treated for debilitating illnesses such as cancer.

Jim Carol, the charity’s cofounder, will begin his 1500-mile journey in San Diego on November 7 and then drive north along Interstate 5, completing his nine-day trip in Seattle on November 16, where he will meet with the team at Microsoft Xbox. Other cities to be visited include Irvine (November 8), Los Angeles (November 10), Santa Barbara (November 11), San Francisco (November 12) and Portland (November 13).

Carol, a former tech entrepreneur and pioneer in streaming video technology, established GameChanger Charity in 2007 when his son Taylor, then 11 years old, was diagnosed with leukemia. As Taylor found comfort and connection in video games during treatment, Jim made it his mission to provide other hospitalized kids with free access to the latest video games, movies, virtual reality and other forms of distraction therapy that provided relief from their pain and isolation, which has worsened significantly throughout the pandemic.

“With the additional threat of Covid-19, times have been horrible for any child with a life-threatening illness,” said Jim Carol. “Services have been cut, staff decimated, and children have had to suffer with the inability of people being able to visit or deliver gifts and goodies. Along with our interactive GameChanger Private Network, our road trip is designed to help ease the pain, suffering and isolation these kids may be experiencing, as well as their families and caregivers, while making it easier for our partners to donate in-kind items.”

During his “Road Trip for Good,” Carol will be accepting gifts such as toys, video games, and other gear and collectible items to be distributed to local pediatric hospitals, including Children's Hospital of Orange County (November 8), Miller Children's and Women's Hospital (November 10) and Valley Children's Hospital (November 12). He also will be meeting with donors and gaming companies as part of the charity’s fundraising efforts and in-kind contribution drive.

Daily updates of Jim’s travels will be posted on GameChanger’s social platforms, where those interested can engage, share and get involved in the charity’s mission of helping sick and isolated children.

Based in Dana Point, Calif., GameChanger Charity is a national nonprofit organization founded in 2007 by Jim Carol and his son Taylor, inspired by Taylor’s battle with pediatric cancer.

GameChanger’s mission is to bring happiness, hope and connection to hospitalized children all over the world primarily through the GameChanger Private Network, an interactive platform that gives patients, families and caregivers relief by providing free access to the latest video games, movies, virtual reality and other forms of distraction therapy. Accredited by STEM.org and recently awarded GuideStar’s (now Candid) Platinum Seal of Transparency, the charity has grown to help 25,000 children and 6,500 caregivers across several continents. Get involved at gamechangercharity.org/ and on social media at Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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Media Contact:

George Medici
Maisey McGinnis
PondelWilkinson
gmedici@pondel.com
mmcginnis@pondel.com
310.279.5968

The post GameChanger Charity Founder to Embark on ‘Road Trip for Good’ to Help Sick Kids in Hospitals first appeared on GameChanger Charity.

We are now getting plea’s to help four kids and their families affected by the Corona virus. Not only are the immunocompromised kids with life threatening illnesses suffering from fear of the virus, and loss of agency as they are not getting the normal psycho social services like pet therapy, or visitors, we now have children who have Covid-19 seeking help. A few weeks ago we were contacted about a teenager who is at the end of life, Nth stage hospice. The hospital called us because the child had not had any visitors and asked if GameChanger could do anything. It was late on a Friday, by Sunday you had help deliver games, gear, clothing and money so his parents (working two jobs) could take a day off to be with him.  We met with this child and heard what he wanted. He asked, “can you please help my parents?”

We Love you all, and thank you for helping this child.  Not only does Covid-19 ravage lives randomly, the children suffering from the harsh insult of a life threatening illness are more alone and scared than ever. GameChanger and you have selflessly looked out for sick and isolated kids teens and young adults, and their caregivers for 14 years.  We didn’t look at the menu, we ate the meal. We know what it is like to be isolated and alone, scared and sick. You have made a difference. 

Day one,
Jim Carol

The post Thank you first appeared on GameChanger Charity.