The 2009 Gamers United Holiday Cocktail party set out to collect donations for the Mattel Children’s Hospital of UCLA and raise awareness of often forgotten teenagers of the pediatric ward. Expectations were met and exceeded on December 9th as industry influencers, celebrities and executives came together in a unified show of support.
Gamers United may have started out small but their warp speed growth was no surprise to organization founder, Chastity Irizarry. “The industry is giving and we are kids at heart. We just found a way to make it easier for us to come together for gamers who need our help.”
Some special guests were also in attendance at the evening’s festivities. Robert Welkner and Hailey Bright from Coin-Op TV Live, Carlos Ferro best known as the voice of Dominic Santiago from the Gears of War franchise and Leonardo da Vinci of Assassin’s Creed II, President of Intellivision Keith Robinson, Top Cow artist Rick Basaldua, anime and video game voice actors Spike Spencer (voice of Shinji Ikari of the Neon Genesis Evangelion series), Jennifer Hale (voice of Naomi Hunter of the Metal Gear Solid series and Ophelia in Brutal Legend), and Gregg Berger (voice of Jecht from the Final Fantasy series), actors Jeff Rector (Fatal Kiss, Fox Hunt, Star Trek: The Next Generation) and Alexis Cruz (Stargate, Stargate SG-1, Shark and Drag Me to Hell), comic book artist and now game producer Joe Madureira (Darksiders, Uncanny X-Men and Battle Chasers) and Kevin Pereira from G4’s Attack of the Show were all came out with their donations. “I love volunteer work and I am really excited about revamping the UCLA kids lounge!” says Hailey Bright and Spike Spencer said very simply, “I’m a big supporter.”
“At last count we have collected over $3,000 worth of games, accessories and peripherals,” explained Heather Harris as they were busy taking inventory of the growing piles of donations. More is still needed of course and Coin-Op TV Live will be helping to get the community involved on their show Thursdays in December. Rob Welkner stated “Whatever I can do to help, I’ll do,” when discussing the show’s support. Anyone can join in our campaign easily by watching Rob and Hailey on theStream.tv each Thursday at 8:00pm Pacific Time.
To be a part of the month-long campaign to collect games and accessories for the Teen Lounge of the Mattel Children’s Hospital of UCLA, please go the Gamers United’s official site and watch Coin-Op TV Live on Thursdays. You can also donate via Paypal and the funds will go towards the long list of needs these young patients need.
Supporters can follow Gamers United on Twitter for more update @Gamers_United or become a fan on Facebook.
About Gamers United:
Gamers United emerged in 2007 after what seemed to be a never-ending barrage of attacks from the press about the evils of gaming. From murderous mothers to the Virginia Tech Massacre, law enforcement, the media and society alike were searching for answers and video gaming seemed to be in the proverbial bullseye. A group of gamers decided to pool the resources of their various organizations to come together and highlight the positive of gaming to the media. From there, the philanthropy took on a life of its own and has grown into an organization dedicated to giving back and highlighting all the best in video gaming and its gamers. Whether donating to a children's hospital or coordinating speaking engagements at schools, we believe there is always a way to give back.
