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t m c » p u l s e | d e c e m b e r 2 0 1 4 34 to the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals in agreement with the CEO to help us grow it, and they did," said Adams. "Now my all day, every day job is to help Extra Life gamers help more kids on a local basis. Extra Life has grown from a $120,000 fundraiser for Texas Children's Hospital to becoming a fundraiser that may raise $6 million this year for 170 children's hospitals in the United States and Canada." Now that Adams' responsibilities have greatly increased, volunteers in the Houston area have come together to help raise local awareness about Extra Life and maintain strong support for Texas Children's. As part of the Extra Life Guild Program, volunteers work year-round by sharing the story of Extra Life, recruiting new gamers, visiting comic book stores and conventions, as well as planning fun events, such as the annual marathon day. "It's one of the greatest charities I have been a part of," said Extra Life Houston Guild Secretary and mem- ber Gerardo Pineda. "There truly is a positive energy amongst the gamers. Being involved has allowed me to connect with fellow gamers who are also passionate about helping others. It is a good feeling knowing that there are others like you who care about video games, comics, pop culture and also about helping children." "I think a big highlight for us this year has been the rampant success of the guild program in terms of helping us recruit people to join Extra Life," I magine running a marathon, except in this marathon not everyone is run- ning and you don't have to either. You can walk, jump, crouch, crawl, swim, climb, kick, or punch your way through. In this course, you can race against others and vie for first place, or you can run by yourself and explore mountains, forests and maybe even rescue a prin- cess or two. Extra Life is not your average marathon. Participants do not have to train months in advance for phys- ical endurance and there's no official starting or ending point. This marathon is doable and accessible for those of all ages and abilities. Extra Life is a 24-hour video gaming marathon that hosts an annual event each fall to raise money for Children's Gaming for a Cause extra life fundraiser raises it to the next level for children's hospitals we all seem to have a story about how a children's hospital has affected us. whether that's our kids, a sibling, a nephew or a niece, you're very hard pressed to find an Extra lifer who doesn't have a story about why they are doing this and they usually have a very personal one. — JEROMy adaMS managing director of extra life B y Z o e Q u e z a d a each fall, extra life hosts an official game day for participants around the world to gather their friends, family and fellow gamers for an all-day gaming marathon. Miracle Network Hospitals. Since the marathon's inception in 2008, gamers from all over the world have come together to give back to their commu- nities and show their support by doing what they truly love to do: gaming. Inspired by the passing of a young girl named Victoria "Tori" Enmon, Extra Life began as a simple in-house fundraiser for Texas Children's. In 2008, Jeromy Adams, managing director and founder of Extra Life, had the idea to reach out to his friends in the online gaming community to spread the word about the needs of children's hospitals. Adams received an overwhelming amount of support. "I had been working at Texas Children's for a while now in helping get the radio-thon up and running, so I took it very personally when Tori passed away," said Adams. "So I worked with some friends of mine in gaming. I loved video gaming and we got something off the ground for Texas Children's. It raised $120,000 in its first year in 2008. That's when we realized that there was something here that we could use to grow Tori's legacy and to help other kids." After two years, Adams decided to expand Extra Life's reach by joining forces with the Children's Miracle Network Hospital group. He was happy to see firsthand how the money being raised went directly to hospitals across the country. "I decided that I was going to donate the intellectual property of Extra Life