Child's Play closes year with record-breaking $7.6 million
An incredible holiday drive propelled Child's Play's annual fundraising to $7.6 million, a new record for the charity organization by more than $2 million. Considering that annual figure was at $2.5 million as recently as November, it's a remarkable achievement by Child's Play and its backers alike.
"Child life specialists reach out to us every year, overwhelmed and amazed at the generosity of gamers," wrote Jamie Dillon on the Child's Play site. "The iPads they use help distract and comfort kids as they prep for surgery. An Xbox will find its way to the community playroom for siblings to play together again. The movies, craft supplies, CDs, toys, and books sent from Amazon wishlists let kids just be kids for a moment: not sick kids, not hurt kids, not scared or lonely kids. Just kids playing like kids. And it's all thanks to you."
As ever, the money was raised by a variety of activities, from gaming marathons and charity streams to bake sales and auctions; Desert Bus alone contributed an impressive $520,000 towards this year's funds. The $7.6 million raised in 2013 takes Child's Play's total across a decade to over $25 million, with all that money going to improving kids' lives in 90 hospitals worldwide. If that doesn't warm your heart at the turn of the year, nowt in 2014 will.
