| Gamers Outreach Foundation | |
| Type: | 501(c)(3) |
| Founded Date: | 2007 |
| Founder: | Zach Wigal |
| Area Served: | Global |
| Mission: | To develop and sustain services that use interactive entertainment in ways that improve the lives of others. |
Gamers Outreach Foundation (stylized as Gamers Outreach) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides entertainment to hospitalized families through video games. The organization was started in 2007 in response to a canceled Halo tournament. Present-day, Gamers Outreach oversees devices and services to help hospitals manage video game content. The organization works to help families cope with treatment inside hospitals while reinforcing healthcare staff. According to its website, Gamers Outreach programs enable as many as 3 million gaming experiences[1] each year for patients across hundreds of healthcare facilities.
In March 2007, more than three hundred individuals had registered to participate in a Halo 2 tournament organized by Saline High School student Zach Wigal.[2]
Still determined to host a tournament, Wigal[3] and his friends began organizing a new event to illustrate the positive impact gamers can make when they come together to play video games. In 2008, Wigal tapped local LAN Party runners MPCon[4] to assist in the collaboration and launch of Gamers for Giving,[5] a competitive gaming tournament and LAN party that provided gamers with an opportunity to participate in gaming activities, while simultaneously raising money for charity.
In the process of planning the new tournament, Gamers Outreach Foundation[6] was established. While the original purpose of the organization was to facilitate Gamers for Giving, the newly founded 501(c)(3) nonprofit began taking on a life of its own.
As interest in Gamers for Giving grew, so did the scope of Gamers Outreach's mission. In 2009, Gamers Outreach began working with C.S. Mott Children's Hospital of Ann Arbor, Michigan, to provide video games to hospitalized children.[7]
The mission statement of Gamers Outreach Foundation is as follows:
Gamers Outreach is a for-purpose organization helping to restore a sense of joy and normalcy in the lives of hospitalized children. We believe the world is better when kids can play, and gamers have the power to help.