Sick Kid Needs a Wii - The GRcade Charity Drive! Wii DID IT!

Child's Play Charity Surpasses $1 Million Mark

by Chris Remo | December 4, 2009

Just a few weeks after its official launch, the Child's Play charity has raised more than $1 million in donations to provide games, toys, and books to dozens of hospitals around the world.

Due to early sponsorship, the charity, which was founded by Penny Arcade comic creators Jerry "Tycho" Holkins and Mike "Gabe" Krahulik, had already raised a quarter of a million dollars when it kicked off its public drive, meaning it has raised just over $750,000 in the three-week period since then. By the time this year's effort has concluded, the organization hopes to have exceeded last year's total of $1.4 million in donations, and it says it is on track for that goal. "With so many people out of work, we’ve been amazed at the huge response this year," said project manager Kristin Lindsay. "The game community is really digging deep and we’re on track for a record-breaking year."

Donations come in the form of both financial contributions and the direct purchase of specific games and other products that hospitals have selected by way of Amazon.com wish lists.

Over the charity's six-year history, more than $5 million in total has been raised for participating hospitals, as the number of partners has grown considerably every year.