FINAL 2007 CHILD’S PLAY CHARITY DRIVE NUMBERS ARE IN!

As promised, the good folks over at the Child's Play Charity have released the final numbers for the 2007 charity drive – and it's a staggering number…

This year, gamers around the world donated over 1.3 million dollars in games, toys, books and cash to over 40 children's hospitals around the globe, breaking last year's record generosity while bringing smiles to sick kids everywhere. I want you to stop and think about that for a moment – if you participated in this year's drive, you're a part of that number. You, and those like you, were a part of this stunning achievement and helped to make the world a little bit of a nice place. Yes, there's no denying it, you rock. Just deal with it.

I'm sure many of you wonder what happens to the cash donations that are made directly to the charity each year, so I'm going to answer that one too. Once more, the charity made it's visit to Nintendo's headquarters and picked up a sizeable amount of hardware and software to be spread out among the charities. While it wasn't expressly noted this year, I know that last year Nintendo gave a pretty nice discount on the purchase, so it wouldn't surprise me if they did so once again. Here's one of the shots Jerry "Tycho Brahe" Holkins of Penny Arcade posted of the haul – makes you drool, doesn't it?  

 

So there you have it – 1.3 million dollars – take a bow. Remember, if you didn't manage to make a donation during the drive, both the Child's Play charity and many of it's member hospitals will continue taking donations throughout the year, so there's always time to make a difference.

• Child's Play Charity – Official website

THAT’S RIGHT, ANOTHER CHILD’S PLAY UPDATE – 1.13 MILLION DOLLARS!

You read that right folks, 1.13 million dollars. This year's Child's Play Charity drive has brought in $1,135,000 in toys, books, games and cash for children's hospitals around the world. That is downright amazing – and heart warming.

While the drive is now wrapping up for the year (there should be one last update to the total donations some time in January), there is always time to make a donation – many of the hospitals listed will continue to keep their wish lists updated throughout the year. The holidays may be just about over, but there are still so many kids out there who could use a smile or ten.

"I just got the final amount for Child's Play, which is… substantial: $1,135,000 in toys and cash. I said it was the final amount, but what we've seen in previous years is that this "final amount" climbs considerably after the event is finished. Money comes in from local events or community sites. For some people, the end of the event is an impetus to give. The lists typically stay up, as does the PayPal, and we see people choosing items in July. So as large as that sum is up there, it's not complete. Recall that this million is heaped upon the other millions we have raised, year over year, creating from nothing an engine of perpetual comfort that has generated $3,324,000 to date. We make Santa Claus a real person with Child's Play, that is our holy work, and each time we perform this charitable ritual he is real for a longer and longer duration." – Jerry "Tycho Brahe" Holkins

Whenever I see the numbers Child's Play generates, I'm proud to have played any kind of a role in this whole endeavor (No, I'm not egotistical enough to think that this site generates any kind of a spur in donations for Child's Play, I just refer to my own donations) – sure, each person may not be able to make a huge difference, but together, there's no limit to what we can accomplish.

So to those of you who have donated this year, or at any other time in the charity's history, take a bow – and the next time someone tells you that gamers are just anti-social, maladjusted slackers, give them 3,324,000 reasons to think again. While you're at it, be sure to give then the Child's Play Charity website address too – maybe next year's total can be even higher.

•  Child's Play Charity – Official website

YET ANOTHER CHILD’S PLAY UPDATE – $974,000!

That's right gang, it's once again time to check in on how this year's Child's Play Charity drive is doing. I'm thrilled to announce that as of December 21st, almost one million dollars has been donated by gamers just like you. The official tally stands at $974,000 with still some time to go. Now, I'm sure that it's already passed the one million mark by now, but if you haven't donated yet, would you want to be the one responsible if it doesn't get there? Hmmmm?

I thought not. That's why there's still time to get in on the action – the holidays may have passed, but there are still sick kids out there. That said, as soon as you get up for some more holiday leftovers, why not grab your credit card on the way back and make a donation. While I can't promise anything, if you do, maybe the Big Daddies will forgive you for harvesting Little Sisters… or maybe they'll still punch you right in the head. 

• Child's Play Charity – Official website

ANOTHER CHILD’S PLAY UPDATE – $850,000 AND RISING

Well gang, it's time to once again check in on how things are going with Penny Arcade's 2007 Child's Play Charity drive. Last week's Child's Play Charity Dinner Auction brought in over $225,000 bringing the total donations to over $850,000. Wow – think about that for a second… $850,000 donated to sick children… $850,000.

You can still be a part of that total, you know. I hate to always sound preachy when it comes to Child's Play, but it really is a win-win situation. Sick children all over the world get things to help take their minds off of the situations they're in and gamers who donate get to not only feel great about helping achieve that goal, but also help to kill the stereotype that gamers are a bunch of ultra-violent, anti-social slackers. Where else can you achieve three things with one donation?

What I'm saying is even if you haven't donated yet, there's still time to get in on this year's charity drive. Head over to the Child's Play website and get with the giving! (Maybe you'll even be forgiven for laying claymores everywhere in Call of Duty 4 – it's a long shot, but who knows?!)

• Child's Play Charity – Official website
• The Dinner – Penny Arcade
• Child's Play Charity Kicks Off 2007 Drive – nylatenite.com 

CHILD’S PLAY CHARITY 2007 UPDATE – $600,000 AND RISING!

It's time for us to check back in on how things are progressing with this year's Child's Play Charity drive, and based on both the information available at the Child's Play website and the large list of events still upcoming, things are looking pretty good once again. As of today, this year's donations have exceeded $600,000 in toys, books and cash. That is indeed a lot of smiling children – all of you who have donated so far, please take a bow.  

While $600,000 may sound great, the drive isn't over by a long shot. Besides the normal donations we can expect to see being made over the next few weeks, there's still today's Child's Play Charity Dinner Auction in Seattle as well as the Funde Razor events in Denver and New York City on Wednesday.

Yes, there's still plenty of time left to donate – and plenty of ways to make a difference – so if you haven't already donated, or have but want to give some more, please do – it's for a great cause. 

• Child's Play Charity – Official website
• Child's Play Charity Dinner Auction – Child's Play
• Funde Razor – Official website
• Child's Play Charity Kicks Off 2007 Drive – nylatenite.com

CHILD’S PLAY CHARITY KICKS OFF 2007 DRIVE

 

It's that time of the year again folks – on November 1st, the gang over at Penny Arcade kicked off this year's Child's Play charity drive. For those of you unfamiliar with Child's Play, the charity was founded in 2003 by Gabe and Tycho of Penny Arcade fame as a way for gamers to help children in need while simultaneously showing that we're not all the socially maladjusted misfits the media so often makes us out to be.

Since that first year, Child's Play has amazed just about everyone involved with just how much gamers worldwide have been willing to open their hearts and wallets to help those less fortunate than themselves. Every year, the drive seems to draw in even more donations and is able to expand to include even more locations – and make the world just a little bit of a nicer place in the process. To date, the charity has brought in donations of toys and cash in excess of 1.6 million dollars. That's a lot of smiling children.

"Every year we put the call out to the game community, and every year we’re blown away by your response. Raising over a million dollars in 2006 was a phenomenal achievement, and although it’ll be a challenge to beat, there’s certainly no harm in trying. We’ve expanded our partner hospital network to over 45 this year, but if you would like to have a specific hospital added, please get in touch with us and we’ll get that ball rolling. For those of you wondering about the charity auction dinner, December 11th is the date; details will be coming in the next week.

So get involved, check out the wish lists or see if your company wants to participate on the sponsor level! Every little bit makes a difference, so thank you for chipping in- this is what the game community is all about!" – ChildsPlayCharity.org

By now, I'm willing to bet that you're chomping at the bit wondering how it all works and how you can help – Well, it's very simple – and I'll tell you all about it;

The charity selects children's hospitals around the world and asks them to create a wish list over at Amazon.com for items that they could use to make the children who stay there more comfortable during their time in the hospital – some of these children will only be in the hospital for a short period of time, while others may never leave. 

This is where you come in – visit the Child's Play charity website and select the hospital you would like to assist. When you click on that hospital's icon, you'll be taken to their wish list over at Amazon.com, where you can see what items they are requesting and how many they could use. Simply find something on the list that you'd like to donate, add it to your cart and proceed to checkout. Once purchased, Amazon will speed your donation out to the selected hospital where it will find it's way into a child's hands. It really is that easy.

Child's Play is a charity that has no overhead aside from things like shipping costs for items donated to or purchased directly by the charity – for the most part, every single dollar you may donate – and certainly every book or toy you send to a hospital – goes right where it belongs. I wouldn't advertise it as much as I do if I didn't believe 100% in Gabe & Tycho's vision and honesty in that matter.

I could talk about how studies have shown that videogames can help reduce the pain children feel from chronic afflictions, or how a book can take them to a world removed from the situation they are in for a little while, but when push comes to shove, it's all about making children who so desperately need a smile happy. I think that's something we can all get behind.

Besides, you really do need to make up for your indiscretions against the Weighted Companion Cube, you know.