Steven Spohn, the COO of The AbleGamers Charity, has shared the exciting news that the organization has achieved its $1 million goal this week, just shy of the program’s one-year anniversary. The goal was set for the charity’s “SpawnTogether” initiative which worked to ensure that disabled gamers are seen, supported, and celebrated within the videogame community. This hefty goal was set by Spohn to ensure that AbleGamers can continue to help disabled gamers around the world receive much-needed equipment and consultation well into the future.
Spohn announced the “SpawnTogether” initiative in September of last year. Specifically, he announced the initiative on his 40th birthday, a personal milestone for Spohn who was told by doctors that he wouldn't reach it. After the announcement, over $300,000 was raised in the first week alone. The following eleven months saw a slew of fundraising events, streams, and influencer and celebrity support, like Brie Larson and Ryan Reynolds, to help raise awareness and ultimately reach the $1 million goal.
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Last November, Twitch announced that it would match donations for streamers that participated in the fundraising activity, which helped kick things into high gear. Soon after, Media company Red Ventures, through GameSpot, donated over $115,000 to the cause, pushing it past the halfway mark. The initiative was given broad reach through the PR support of Stanley-Cup winning NHL team the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Throughout the year, many notable personalities and brands helped to rally support for the initiative to make a serious dent in the “SpawnTogether” goal. These include Twitch creators negaoryx, lilsimsie, and Bloodyfaster, streamer and actress Felicia Day, What’s Good Games media company, Logitech G, Alanah Pearce, Kinda Funny, The Escapist, and many, many more.
Upon reaching the goal, Spohn had this to say: “I am absolutely floored by the outpouring of love and support. When I set out on this journey, I thought we would raise a few thousand dollars. I massively underestimated the groundswell of support this amazing community has for things that matter to them the most. Finally, we are at a point where people truly believe everyone should be able to play."
He also shared that he learned a lot from the community in his work to achieve the goal. He saw that people believed in the mission of AbleGamers and the importance of supporting those gamers with disabilities. As such, he decided to turn the initiative into an annual event; “I am going to turn this into an annual event – trying to raise $1 million every year. And I'm not doing this alone. I'm bringing some of my most trusted friends who can keep this going even after SMA finally gets me. When that happens, I don't want people to mourn and be sad, I want them to celebrate and keep supporting people with disabilities for decades to come!"
This $1 million will go to help a lot of people around the world. The organization estimates that over 56 million people in America alone need assistive equipment to help put an end to isolation, especially in such trying times as the COVID-19 pandemic has led to. Spohn hopes to one day be able to help all of those in need through the power of the experts at AbleGamers and the many people that make the charity so successful through research, counseling, and development.
You can stay up to date with AbleGamers and learn more about the amazing work this charity is doing by following them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. You can also follow Steven on Twitter for fundraising updates, AbleGamers news, and more.
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