If you’re looking for a fresh, turnkey way to engage employees, energize younger staff, and grow your company’s social impact, Extra Life offers a powerful solution. This year-round Children’s Miracle Network program blends fun, flexibility, and philanthropy—making it an easy, low-lift addition to your existing CSR and employee engagement strategy. With proven success across Canada, Extra Life not only boosts participation in workplace giving, it also increases total funds raised for local children’s hospitals foundations.
Extra Life began in 2008 with a single, heartfelt promise. A group of gamers in Orange, Texas came together to honour a young girl named Victoria Enmon, who was undergoing cancer treatment. They turned their passion into purpose—marathoning games to raise funds in her name. That spark became Extra Life, which has since raised over $132 million USD to help kids get the best care and treatment possible at their local children’s hospitals.
The concept is simple and scalable: participants sign up for free, choose their local hospital, create a fundraising page, and raise money through gaming. Video games, tabletop RPGs, board games, livestreams—anything goes. Because every dollar raised stays local, employees feel the direct impact of their efforts in the communities where they live and work.
For our partners, Extra Life offers something unique: a ready-made engagement tool that resonates particularly well with younger employees and those looking for new, inclusive ways to give back. It’s easy to integrate into existing campaigns, team-building calendars, or employee resource groups, and requires minimal coordination from your internal teams. Whether employees participate individually or join a company-wide challenge, Extra Life gives staff a fun and meaningful way to contribute—no experience or gaming skill required!
This impact was on display during the 2025 Extra Life Unlocked and Game Day events, where workplaces, community groups, and gamers rallied nationwide. In Edmonton, the Extra Life and Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation team transformed the West Edmonton Mall Ice Palace into a 24-hour gaming arena. More than 100 gamers launched the event with an opening ceremony featuring local dignitaries, a Stollery family, and CCHF Board member Lindsay Dodd. Public programming from Code Ninjas, Makers Making Change, Animethon, the Alberta Ghostbusters, and a full slate of entertainment kept the venue buzzing. Donations surged as players connected with in-person and online audiences, ultimately raising more than $55,000 for Stollery kids. The overnight marathon continued after the mall closed—with surprise visits from the “stuffie fairy,” an early-morning IHOP breakfast, and a proud group of participants who left knowing they made a difference.
In Quebec, the Extra Life Unlocked and Game Week events showed similar enthusiasm. Nearly 300 participants—many streaming for over 75 consecutive hours—raised more than $300,000 for Enfant Soleil. One highlight was a collaboration between the Enfant Soleil team and Deuxième Vie, who brought 100 streamers together under one roof for a marathon filled with passion, creativity, and a shared commitment to helping local kids. Late Sunday evening, the group celebrated hitting its ambitious $200,000 milestone, a moment made possible by the collective effort of individuals, companies, and gaming communities.
These stories show what makes Extra Life a standout opportunity for corporate partners: it’s inclusive, flexible, community-driven, and deeply connected to local impact. It strengthens workplace culture, supports your philanthropic goals, and offers a new way for employees to rally behind a cause that matters.
Power-up your company’s engagement—and help change kids’ health