charity
Latest
Amazon Echo is the latest device to benefit (RED)
Want to get a smart speaker while contributing to an important cause? Amazon has you covered: it just unveiled a Product (RED) version of its second-generation Echo. As you might expect, buying the crimson-hued device will contribute 10 percent (in this case, $10) of its purchase price to fighting AIDS through the Global Fund. It happens to be considerably more eye-catching, too, which might help if you'd rather have your speaker stand out than blend into the decor.
AmazonSmile comes to the UK, donates some of your spend to charity
Just over four years ago, Amazon introduced Smile, a new way to donate to charitable organisations. Instead of visiting the normal Amazon.com website, customers load up the special AmazonSmile address and shop as they would normally. The company then gives 0.5% of the total net spend to the charity of their choice. With $62 million raised for 230,000 charities, the company has decided to bring it this side of the Atlantic. It's now giving Brits the opportunity to generate a little extra money for Cancer Research UK, The British Red Cross, Royal British Legion and other charitable organisations.
One Gamer Fund heard you liked video-game charities
It's an exciting time to be Seven Siegel. Siegel is the executive director of Global Game Jam, the world's largest 48-hour gaming hackathon, but more important, they're a former game developer with an MBA in nonprofit management. This makes Siegel particularly suited to work in an emerging niche market blending philanthropy with cutting-edge technology: video game charities. There are dozens of charities in the video-game industry, including heavy hitters like the Gamers Outreach Foundation, which puts gaming equipment in children's hospitals around the nation; AbleGamers, which helps people with disabilities play their favorite titles; and Take This, which advocates for mental-health awareness in the gaming industry. And there are more community-led nonprofits popping up all the time. "We're seeing it on the individual level with Desert Bus for Hope, with the Mario marathon, with Awesome Games Done Quick," Siegel says. "These are all charity events that aren't big industry things. These are all people getting together with their love of games and making some good happen."
GameChanger brings virtual worlds to the kids who need it most
I was standing in a makeshift room at NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital with a couple dozen people. Some of them were young children battling cancer, others were family and friends there to spend time with them. There was a handful of hospital staff. Spread out across the room were a young woman unknowingly about to get a scholarship, a social worker who had paid for a child's cable bill so that he could have some comfort in his last few weeks of life and team members of a charity who had brought everyone there so that sick children could have a little bit of fun for a few hours. It was an event that was both solemn and uplifting, and it was all centered around video games.
Justice Department takes aim at Hurricane Harvey scammers
This week a number of federal and state law enforcement agencies teamed up to prosecute any scammers taking advantage of the Hurricane Harvey aftermath. Texas-based agencies along with the SEC, FBI, FTC and others have created a working group that will investigate any fraud, theft and price gouging related to the hurricane. "Under the lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina, we bring a comprehensive law enforcement focus to combat any criminal activity arising from the tragedy of Hurricane Harvey and the rebuilding efforts underway," said acting US Attorney Abe Martinez in a statement.
Child’s Play is giving joy and gaming carts to more children’s hospitals
If you're at a children's hospital next year, the chances of seeing one of the Gamers Outreach Foundation's (GOF) signature Go Karts are pretty high. The all-in-one rolling gaming rigs have proved quite popular in the 25 facilities that currently have them. Now Child's Play, one of gaming's longest-running philanthropies, wants to help GOF founder Zach Wigal realize his dream of comforting as many hospitalized kids as possible through video games. "I think this is the start of us making a very serious push into having Go Karts in every [children's] hospital in the US," Wigal told Engadget. And with roughly 273 children's hospitals in the US, closing the gap is far from impossible.
Watch favorite games finished quickly in the name of charity
It's a long July holiday weekend, and that means something big for gamers: it's the start of Summer Games Done Quick, the second of two annual livestreams for charity. As of 1PM Eastern on July 2nd, you'll witness a slew of top players rushing through games for nearly a full week to raise donations for Doctors Without Borders. It starts with a one-handed (!) speedrun of the recent hit NieR: Automata, and wraps up the night of July 9th with a glitch-free blitz through the classic title Earthbound.
Watch Ariana Grande's benefit concert live on Twitter and YouTube
Pop star Ariana Grande is hosting a benefit concert on June 4th to help victims of the Manchester terrorist attack, and you'll have plenty of ways to both watch and contribute online. The gig will livestream at 2PM Eastern (7PM local time) on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and iHeartRadio. If you want to pitch in, Twitter will have a dedicated donation tab alongside the concert feed. You can also contribute directly to the British Red Cross' Manchester fund if you'd prefer to skip the concert altogether.
A hunger for chicken nuggets broke Twitter's retweet record
When Ellen DeGeneres' Oscars selfie (read: Samsung promo) broke the record for the most retweeted Twitter post ever, it raised a question: what, if anything could top that? Breaded chicken can, apparently. Twitter has confirmed that high school student Carter Wilkerson's tweet asking for help scoring free Wendy's chicken nuggets has broken the retweet record, racking up over 3.43 million shares as we write this. As with the Oscars photo, though, he didn't achieve this through purely grassroots support -- a corporate pile-on helped him reach the milestone.
Lyft's 'Round-Up' program donates part of your fare to charity
Lyft has been positioning itself as the anti-Uber in light of its rival's mounting controversies, and it's determined to underscore that point. The ridesharing service has introduced a Round Up & Donate program that, as the name suggests, rounds up your fare and donates the difference to charity. Opt in and every ride will contribute some pennies to a good cause, whether it's the environment, equality or veterans. It's not going to contribute nearly as much as a straighforward donation, of course, but this could quickly add up if you're a regular Lyft passenger.
How to turn your armchair activism into online good
A lot has been going on around the world lately, and you may have felt the need to express your frustrations at things happening that you don't agree with. Sitting around and complaining about the injustices happening around you is fine (relatively speaking) when you're a teen with limited resources. But as a grownup, you should help the causes you support. In addition to pledging money, signing petitions and participating in one of the many marches around the nation, there are several other ways for you to help people in need without having to leave your house. And you can do them regardless of your political leanings.
You can now use Apple Pay to donate to 22 UK charities
Apple has partnered with 22 UK charities to let iOS users pledge donations using Apple Pay. The feature, which rolled out in the US last November, operates inside the Safari browser and lets anyone with a supported iPhone, iPad or Apple Watch securely send money to their favourite organisation using only their fingerprint.
The charity that wants video game karts in every hospital
In many ways, Jonathan Watson is like other 11-year-olds. He does his homework, dreams of becoming a doctor and plays video games when he can. Depending on the day, his favorite is either Minecraft or The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Unlike most kids his age, though, Jonathan is at the hospital every three weeks for blood transfusions -- a procedure that can take up to six hours at a time. When I visited him at Mott Children's Hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan, he wasn't slaying dragons or building a pixelated fortress; he was replaying the opening levels of Rayman Legends on a kart that had just been wheeled in. The kart was donated by a local Eagle Scout who raised funds through the Gamers Outreach Foundation (GO), a nationwide charity that puts medical-grade gaming equipment in hospitals around the country. The "GO Kart" Jonathan was using included everything needed to play video games: a modest Samsung television, an Xbox 360 (though any console will fit) and a pair of gamepads. The kit itself is hardly revolutionary, but anyone who's schlepped their gear to a LAN party can appreciate the simplicity of this rolling, self-contained setup. At Mott and 19 other hospitals around the country, they're the most popular "toy" available. And when you're a kid with a medical condition like Watson's, it's easy to see why.
Humble's latest bundle benefits ACLU, Doctors Without Borders
Humble Bundle has raised millions for charities like the American Red Cross and Girls Who Code, but its latest offering is not only for a good cause -- it's making a political statement. The Humble Freedom Bundle is offering $600 worth of games and e-books for a minimum donation of $30, with the proceeds going to the ACLU, Doctors Without Borders and the International Rescue Committee.
Awesome Games Done Quick's charity video game marathon starts Sunday
Looking for a fun, exciting and altruistic way to kick off the new year? Try watching people beat a ton of classic video games at record speed for charity. Awesome Games Done Quick 2017 kick off on January 8th -- a week long speedrunning marathon that raises funds for charities like Doctors Without Borders and the Prevent Cancer Foundation.
Apple's renewed fight against AIDS includes new iPhone cases
Apple has made a tradition of marking World AIDS Day with a campaign to donate to the Product (RED) charity, and it's going the extra mile for its 10th year of support. On top of the company's existing (RED) gear (which sends a contribution to the Global Fund's fight against AIDS), it's launching four new accessories and devices that count toward the charity. You can get red versions of the iPhone 7 Battery Case, the leather iPhone SE case, Beats Solo 3 Wireless headphones and the Beats Pill+ wireless speaker. All of these are available today, and there are other ways to help out even if you have no intentions of buying hardware.
Facebook is adding donate buttons to charity Live videos
After spending a week battling a fake news epidemic, getting to grips with privacy regulators in Europe and dealing with another admission of misreporting ad data, Facebook finally has some good news to share. In a bid to do more "social good," Mark Zuckerberg and his team have announced a new round of updates to community tools aimed at keeping users safe and allowing them to help others.
'Desert Bus' video game charity kicks off its 10th year
It's a big moment for video game charities: Desert Bus for Hope has launched its 10th annual campaign. As is their custom, the volunteer team will play the Desert Bus mini game from Penn & Teller's Smoke and Mirrors for as long as they can in the name of the Child's Play hospital charity. This year, they're aiming for at least 111 hours -- the more money you donate, the longer they drive on that incredibly boring virtual road between Tucson and Las Vegas. And this year, there are quite a few reasons to check in beyond the usual on-camera antics.
Pick up charity War Child's 12-game bundle for a great cause
If you're in the market for a few new video games and want to support a charity in the process, you may consider checking out charity War Child UK's game jam HELP: The Game, which is comprised of 12 PC titles available on Steam now for $14.99 (£9.99).
Twitch Creative streamers to raise funds for kids in need
From July 21st to July 31st, you might come across some Twitch streams raising funds for non-profit org Save the Children. Twitch Creative, the streaming website's portal for artists, has invited broadcasters to take part in its #CreateForKids charity drive for children in need. Interested artists are encouraged to sign up for a campaign page where their viewers can donate, as well set up digital rewards for donors. They can also auction off one of their original pieces to raise additional funds for the drive.
