Child's Play Gives Sick Children the Gift of Fun

In 2003 Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins, of the on-line gaming community Penny-Arcade, went on a mission to reverse the bad rap that video gamers had been handed by the media. What had been their lifelong passion and whole-hearted hobby was being dragged through dirt. It was time to fight back.

Kristin Lindsay, also of Penny-Arcade, remembers it well.

“They wanted to demonstrate that this was a misconception, and chose to hold a Christmas toy drive for [their local] the Seattle Children’s Hospital,” Lindsay says. “The drive was such a success that they chose to continue and make the program an annual event.”

Child’s Play was born, and six years later the gamers’ charity is still going strong.

The charity has evolved and expanded since 2003, when one Amazon.com Wish List was created, filled with toys, movies and age-appropriate videogames and game systems. The purchased items were personally delivered to children at the Seattle hospital by Krahulik and Holkins.

Today, over 100,000 gamers worldwide help support the charity and over 3.5 million dollars in toys and donations have been raised. The lives of sick children, in a network of more than 60 hospitals around the globe, have been filled with a little more play.

And play is exactly the point.

“Play is such an important component of a child’s recovery in the hospital,” says Lindsay. “Dedicated Child Life specialists use toys and games to help with the emotional and even physical well-being of pediatric patients.”

Who knows about playing better than a gamer? But gamers do much more than play, and Child’s Play has more than proven that point.

“Child’s Play is the gamers’ charity, and our support is entirely grounded in that culture,” Lindsay proclaims.

She adds that “…these gamers have the ability to tap into their existing guilds, clans and other communities to help us spread the word and show support.”

An enthusiastic example of this recently occurred in Brooklyn, NY when a group of 98 Wii Tennis players raised almost $5000 for the charity with their third annual Wiimbledon 2009.

The quest to overcome any negative press about gamers may have born the idea for Child’s Play, but the gratification gained from giving the gift of play to kids in long-term care, keeps the process evolving.

It’s contagious. The charity’s website boasts of the “eager donations” from a world-wide network of gamers, stating that “[Child’s Play] has received gifts of coloring books, art supplies, crafts, movies, cartoons, virtually anything a young person could ask for.”

Donations are collected throughout the year, but the annual toy drive runs from November to the end of December and culminates with a special fundraising dinner auction. This special event happens to be one of Lindsay’s favorite memories from the early stages of Child’s Play.

“We hold a black tie event every December…it gives us a fun excuse to dress up and have an elegant evening in support of a fantastic cause,” she says. “I love having the opportunity to personally meet so many of the donors who make Child’s Play a reality.”

The 2008 Dinner Auction raised $200,000 and gathered together more than 400 gamers and game industry leaders. With the help of that event, the 2008 Child’s Play season was the most successful one yet, collecting a total of $1,434,377.

What does Child’s Play have planned for the future? Along with the annual toy drive and fundraising event, it continues to expand around the world and add to its list of partner hospitals.

“We’re always looking for ways to spread the word and expand our network,” says Lindsay. “We’ve been able to add a grant program for smaller facilities, and look at new ways to make a difference.”

If you’d like to organize a fundraiser for Child’s Play in your own community, contact Lindsay directly at klindsay@penny-arcade.com for information.

By Sara Ost