Magic: The Gathering is a game played for enjoyment and entertainment, but it's also a game that can be used to help children in need thanks to an organization known as Extra Life.
Extra Life, a fundraising program for Children’s Miracle Network, raises funds and awareness for local children’s healthcare.
“The funds that we raise with our program are unrestricted and go to the area of the greatest need,” explains Chelsey Cross of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. “And that changes from hospital to hospital.”
That means, in short, that the funds raised through Extra Life can be used by CMN hospitals for research, equipment, charitable care – whatever the most critical area of need is for that hospital at that time.
“All of the hospitals in our network are nonprofit, which means they can never turn kids away for lack of ability to pay,” Crowne points out.
Rather than raising funds in an umbrella-like setup to be distributed, Extra Life allows for people from all over North America to use their platform to help their own local CMH healthcare facility.
“Every participant that participates in Extra Life fundraises for their own local member of the Children’s Miracle Network hospitals,” explains Crowne.
So, for example, if you live in Sacramento, you could use Extra Life to raise funds specifically for the CMN facility there (which would be the U.C. Davis Children’s Hospital).
As for how this involves the Magic: The Gathering collectible card game, Extra Life has partnered with Wizards of the Coast to raise money for the Seattle Children’s Autism Center.
“These funds will contribute to efforts to expand clinical and outreach programs, including community training, clinical program development, staff and family training, family navigation support, crisis management, and other purposes critical to enhancing services for families living with autism spectrum disorders,” says the game company.
WotC is raising funds through the sale of a special Secret Lair release where half of the purchase price goes towards the charity. There are also digital assets that can be purchased in MTG Arena as well as MTG/Extra Life branded products such as playmates and t-shirts from UltraPro.
Furthermore, Magic players can register with Extra Life under Team Wizards to raise money for CMN healthcare facilities in their local areas.
“Any kind of tabletop gaming community this is National Game Day so Magic the Gathering being an in-person tabletop game, started this event and we have seen the community really donate and care about this goal,” says Daniel Crabtree, who hosted a Pauper format Extra Life event this past weekend in Joplin, Mo.
Crabtree’s event raised more than $2,400 for Children’s Miracle Network at Freeman, which is part of the State of Missouri’s Freeman Health System.
Other Magic fans and players have raised money in other ways, including charity streams, over social media, and more.
“One hundred percent of those funds go to support your local hospital,” Crowne points out.
As of this article’s publication, WotC says they have raised nearly $1.6 million for Extra Life this year.
Overall, Crowne says they have raised more than $120 million for local children’s hospitals since Extra Life was launched in 2008.
You can learn more about how you can assist Extra Life in assisting children by visiting their website.
