The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) is looking looking to utilize the goodwill of the gaming community to raise money for type 1 diabetes research through a fundraiser they’re calling Game2Give.
Organized by the charity’s San Francisco branch, they’re working with multiple people from within the gaming community who’s lives have, in one way or another, been effected by type 1 diabetes. This includes Dan Connors, the co-founder of Telltale Games, who’s son is diabetic. They will be working with two partners during November, which happens to be National Diabetes Awareness Month: The first being Humble Bundle, where a portion of all sales on the site through November will go toward the charity, and also Twitch TV where a week long marathon will be hosted from November 12th – 18th featuring multiple members of the gaming the community.
It’s not hard to see why JDRF might seek the help of the gaming community. With the success of things like Games Done Quick, which at this point has raised millions of dollars for charity, these things have become widespread enough to potentially raise a lot of money for a good cause. JDRF’s Canadian branch has even worked with gamers in the past when they partnered with a speedrunning marathon called Crystals for Life, a charity marathon with a focus on Final Fantasy games and other RPGs that ran in 2013 and 2014.
Be sure to checkout the press release below for more information:
JDRF Teams Up with Video Game Industry to Fight Type 1 Diabetes
Game2Give initiative will kick off in November with Twitch and Humble Bundle fundraisers
SAN FRANCISCO – September 18, 2019 – JDRF, the leading global organization funding type 1 diabetes (T1D) research, is announcing a new fundraising effort in partnership with the video game industry. Spearheaded by the nonprofit’s San Francisco Bay Area chapter, JDRF Game2Give will kick off this November with support from Twitch and Humble Bundle.
The video game community has already donated $1 billion to charity across various initiatives, and that number keeps growing. JDRF Game2Give aims to capitalize on this fundraising potential by bringing together all types of people with T1D who work and play with video games — including game developers, professional streamers, and gamers — and by mobilizing this community to raise money and awareness for diabetes research.
“In our quest to end type 1 diabetes, JDRF is always looking for new avenues for fundraising. The video game community has the potential to take our mission progress to a new level,” says Aaron J. Kowalski, Ph.D., JDRF President and CEO. “We’re excited to launch Game2Give with our November fundraisers during National Diabetes Awareness Month and believe this initiative will contribute to our goal of funding T1D research and ultimately finding cures for the disease.”
Coinciding with National Diabetes Awareness Month in November, JDRF will launch Game2Give with two major fundraising events. As a featured charity on HumbleBundle.com, JDRF will receive a percentage of sales made through the site in November. Additionally, a weeklong fundraising drive will run on Twitch.tv from November 12-18, bringing together members of the video game community affected by diabetes to raise money for JDRF while livestreaming games and sharing their experiences living with T1D.
“It will be invigorating to watch the Twitch community — who love helping others on a global scale — use a fun and creative approach to help JDRF battle type 1 diabetes, a disease that affects millions worldwide,” says Andrew Schroeder, Director of Charity Partnerships at Twitch.
To support Game2Give’s efforts, JDRF is seeking to connect with allies in the video game industry who have T1D or have links to the disease.
“Type 1 diabetes can affect anyone, including people who play games and people who work in the game industry,” says JDRF’s Video Game Liaison Dan Connors, whose son has T1D. “Game2Give isn’t only about raising money. It’s also an opportunity for us to help people who have T1D and like video games to find each other, have fun together, and provide support for each other.”
To learn more about JDRF Game2Give or get involved, please visit http://www.jdrf.org/gaming or reach out at [email protected].
About T1D
Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disease in which a person’s pancreas stops producing insulin, a hormone that enables people to get energy from food. It occurs when the body’s immune system attacks and destroys the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, called beta cells. While its causes are not yet entirely understood, scientists believe that both genetic factors and environmental triggers are involved. Its onset has nothing to do with diet or lifestyle. There is nothing you can do to prevent T1D, and — at present — nothing you can do to get rid of it.
About JDRF
JDRF is the leading global organization funding type 1 diabetes (T1D) research. Our mission is to improve lives today and tomorrow by accelerating life-changing breakthroughs to cure, prevent and treat T1D and its complications. To accomplish this, JDRF has invested more than $2.2 billion in research funding since our inception. We are an organization built on a grassroots model of people connecting in their local communities, collaborating regionally for efficiency and broader fundraising impact, and uniting on a national stage to pool resources, passion, and energy. We collaborate with academic institutions, policymakers, and corporate and industry partners to develop and deliver a pipeline of innovative therapies to people living with T1D. Our staff and volunteers throughout the United States and our six international affiliates are dedicated to advocacy, community engagement and our vision of a world without T1D. For more information, please visit jdrf.org or follow us on Twitter: @JDRF.
