(1888PressRelease)
July 28, 2009 - A group of energetic, video game loving philanthropist in Texas who call themselves TheSpeed Gamers, have raised $50,614 in the past few days for Autism Care and Treatment (ACT Today!), a non profit organization headquartered in Los Angeles. ACT Today!'s mission is to increase access to effective treatments for children with autism.
"The accomplishment of the young gamers is so impressive, and is a testament to the power of the younger generation when they put their considerable talents behind a cause," says ACT Today!'s Executive Director Nancy Alspaugh-Jackson.
"Right now we are all a little awe struck and exhausted," says TheSpeedGamers founder Britt La Riviere of Fort Worth, Texas. We are having one last dinner as a group then we will go back to our normal lives."
113 hours into the marathon, TheSpeedGamers raised over $34,000 from 1533 individual donors. At one point they had over 19,000 viewers from around the world.
TheSpeedGamers are based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas, but have members from around the world. Each commentator has his or her own way of entertaining viewers and encouraging donations. One commentator did barrel rolls for every person who donated over a certain amount within a certain period of time. Another commentator ate a spoonful of vegemite for every donation over $100 within a certain period of time.
TheSpeedGamers was established in 2008. Since then, the group has raised more than $32,000 for various causes such as autism, breast cancer, lupus, among others. "I thought that if I was going to be playing games for such long periods of time, why not do it for a worthy cause? Gamers in general get a bad rap and are thought of as lazy and unproductive. I think by forming TheSpeedGamers it shows what gamers are capable of. Gaming is passion all of us have, and playing for a great cause makes it all the more enjoyable, " says LaRiviere.
TheSpeedGamers' ended their week long fundraising campaign for ACT Today! on Friday. However, the group will accept donations on behalf of ACT Today! online at www.thespeedgamers.com through Monday, July 27, 2009.
For more information about ACT Today! and to make donations directly to the non-profit organization, visit www.act-today.org.
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