Washtenaw Community College
by R.J. HUNT
Editor
Kids being treated at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital will soon have more opportunities to enjoy video games during their stays. WCC’s Wolfpack Esports Week raised more than $10,000 which the hospital will use to buy a pair of new gaming carts for its young patients’ use. The fundraiser encouraged people to play in the Rocket League tournament, stream video games or themselves cooking if they wanted, and most importantly donate money for the cause.
The goal was to buy gaming carts for the patients to help them have some enjoyment while fighting different illnesses. $5,145 was raised from the event; a sponsorship from Gene Butman Ford added another $5,000. In total, $10,145 was raised throughout the week, which was good enough to purchase two gaming carts for the patients at Mott Children’s Hospital.
The tournament portion of the fundraiser featured a Rocket League tournament with 12 different players. The winner who came out on top was University of Michigan student, Cole Laven.
“There was a lot of positive feedback,” said WCC’s manager of sports, Matt Lucas. “I thought it was really interesting. It’s like a whole new world for me. I’ve been in sports for so long, so to learn this side of it as far as streaming was fascinating.”
WCC student and sports assistant, Ben Trapp did not participate in the gaming part of the tournament, but did help raise money.
“It was a great opportunity to help out because we’re able to give the kids some sense of normalcy and help them along during their treatments and recovery,” said Trapp. “I think it was such a great cause and I personally enjoy helping out people as much as I (can).
There were a handful of students from other schools who participated in the tournament because anyone was welcome. On the other hand, there were some WCC students who took part as well including Joe Bur, WCC sports assistant.
“It was a ton of fun. It was a couple of really good players (in the tournament), so it was really fun to go against them.,: he said. “Usually when you have people competitively playing video games, things can get a little rowdy. That didn’t seem to be the case here.
“Everyone seemed to have fun, it’s definitely something to keep going,” said Burr.
“I love doing community service events,” said Lucas. The esports fundraiser will need some review before any decisions about additional events.
Years ago, who would’ve thought playing video games could lead to a fundraiser for a charitable cause. In the year 2021, anything is possible.
