ROME — Gamers of all levels will unite this weekend for the fundraising Extra Life National Game Day to change kids’ health — and their futures — at the Mohawk Valley Health System (MVHS).

National Game Day is from 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 5, to 10 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 6, in the Dining and Community Hall (PC 150), at Mohawk Valley Community College’s Rome campus, 1101 Floyd Ave. The event is hosted by Phoenix Overdrive, a third-party fundraising team for Extra Life, a fundraising program for Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) Hospitals which provides video game enthusiasts a fun way to support CMN Hospitals.

Participants from the group have special gaming activities planned to raise funds for CMN Hospitals at MVHS. The activities include video game and tabletop tournaments, game challenges and live streaming of game play for 25 hours. 

“Extra Life National Game Day is the day we show the world the power of the gamer,” said Lee Alexander Navarro, one of the organizers for Phoenix Overdrive. “Beginning at 10 a.m. on Saturday, we will go 25 hours straight thanks to daylight savings time, until 10 a.m. on Sunday playing games to help heal sick kids.”

Navarro said the event gives them the chance to come together as a team and fundraise for CMN Hospitals all over, including MVHS. In 2021, they placed 48th out of 4,000 teams worldwide. They are expecting close to 80 participants on Game Day from 10 other states including two who are coming all the way from Alberta, Canada.

“As a team, we hope to raise more than $5,000 for CMN at MVHS,” Navarro said. “We also want to energize, excite and electrify our local community and light the fire of philanthropy.” 

Extra Lifers have raised more than $100 million for its member hospitals since the program was founded by gamers in 2008. The secure donations fund the selected hospital’s greatest needs, often including pediatric medical equipment, research, therapy programs and charitable care. 

Interested participants can visit www.phoenixoverdrive.com to find out more about their National Game Day event. Others can also register at www.Extra-Life.org, select MVHS as their preferred CMN Hospital, set a fundraising goal and collect donations throughout the year for kids in need.

For more information about CMN Hospitals at MVHS and how donations are saving kids’ lives, visit www.mvhealthsystem.org/CMN.