Wizards of the Coast is awarded the prestigious Extra Life Partner of the Year Award by the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals.
The award is meant to recognize outstanding partners with the CMNH through outstanding fundraising and awareness initiatives coordinated by Extra Life. In the middle of a global pandemic, Wizards of the Coast had managed to raise $1.6 million through charity livestreams organized by their studios and partners. These range from themed live sessions of Dungeons and Dragons, including the creatively titled Dungeons and Donations organization which let players create traps that players will deal with, to hosting games of Magic The Gathering. The studio has also done promotional sales and giveaways of cards and merchandise, including a special Secret Lair drop for Magic The Gathering.
In the update on the CMNH's official website, it was revealed that the money raised would be going to the Wizards of the Coast Autism Center Development Fund at Seattle Children’s Hospitals. These funds will help support the highest priorities that will advance patient care and program development for Seattle Children’s Autism Center and will be used at the discretion of the Autism Center's leadership. These funds are intended for efforts to expand clinical and outreach programs, including community training, clinical program development, staff and family training, family navigation support, crisis management, and other purposes critical to enhancing services for families living with autism spectrum disorders.
Last year, Seattle Children’s [Hospitals] provided $239m in uncompensated care to families in need." - Magic: The Gathering Hall of Famer and Wizard's Employee Mike Turian
We reached out to Wizards of the Coast for some statements on the honor. Wizard's Employee Mike Turian replied to us saying, "To be able to help those kids, by creating and playing games as a fundraising campaign, that is an amazing experience and the award will always serve as a reminder of all we have accomplished." Turian then praised the staff at the Autism Center which helps more than 4500 families every year, making it the second-largest group in the United States.
This is the second year that Wizards of the Coast has earned Extra Life Partner of the Year Award. Their endeavors in 2019 included a set of products that crossed over their venerable card game with the My Little Pony series known as Pony The Galloping. This included special playmats that were sold out in minutes as well as special card printings, raising over $875k for the Seattle Children's Hospital. Then there were the efforts of the DnD Super Team raising $1 million dollars as well in that year thanks to convention events and a three-month-long campaign that began with their Founders and Legends Day celebration of that year.
When asked if there were any plans to win for a third year, Turian was optimistic:
The Magic and D&D products we are creating to support Extra Life in 2021 are going to be our most exciting yet. And every year our community involvement grows as well! The number of fans who create their own fundraising campaign, and the money raised, continues to inspire us to push ourselves even further each year!"
If you want to donate or take part in it yourself in 2021, visit the Wizard's of the Coast Super Team page for Extra Life right here.
