“It seems like you have control over my life, but really you don’t.

Your presence only makes me stronger, braver, and wiser. I choose how I think and speak, and the way I love. Those are the things you can’t touch, the fear of your name no longer haunts my soul. And the horrible feelings that you bring I ignore. I have a bigger Army, we will fight against you. This dictatorship you’ve been trying to create will stop because I own myself, my feelings, my body and I will survive this. In this life I’ve only been told that I cant do certain things because I’m sick, but I disagree, what about those who have no arms? And sell pretty flowers on the streets of new york? Or those who cant hear?

Like Mandy Harvey who lost her hearing and had no idea what her voice sounded like. She feels the vibrations of the instruments on the floor and creates beautiful music. Those are only obstacles, like being in an army, preparing yourself for harder situations, going through obstacles and hard training, for what? You may ask, To prepare yourself and become strong human beings. Stronger than any Rock in Central Park. That’s how I see myself.”

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From raising funds and working with amazing partners like NVIDIA and Crystal Dynamics on donation campaigns to visiting children’s hospitals across the country with video games and wonderful gifts, 2017 was truly a GameChanger.

In case you’re just starting to learn more about who we are and what we do, here’s a breakdown of our four pillars (Click the link on the title of each section to see a specific event from this year!)

Gamers Give Back Tour – from north to south, east to west, we made 40 stops across the Great Plains and the big cities and met amazing people at each and every location we visited. Each time we made a stop we brought with us toys to donate on the day of our visit, a catered lunch for the Child Life staff, and had discussions about game equipment and what may be needed at the specific location.

GameChanger Play Days – imagine a day specifically designed to take the stress and anxiety away from a child’s stay in the hospital. Where video games and VR stations are set up throughout a large playroom, special guests come along, toys from partners like Hasbro are handed out, and kids get to try out the newest advances in virtual reality and play some classic games as well. Patients and their siblings all get to have a blast and simply be kids and are able to have fun without any worry… all wrapped up in a day to remember.

Character-Based Scholarship Program – Many times, when a teenager is admitted to the hospital with a serious life-threatening illness, their entire lives are put on hold. All dreams, talents, schooling, and family life takes a back seat to ensure they are getting on the right path to health and proper recovery. But then what? Time goes by and these young people are left with needing to pick up where they left off to catch back up with their goals. This is where the GameChanger Charity Character Based Scholarships come into play. Either we meet future recipients during our Gamers Give Back Tour stops or we have nominees suggested to us by the Child Life and hospital staff who work closely with these patients. The scholarship recipients are selected based off unique, creative, and loving characteristics they portray during their stay in the hospital. They leave a lasting impression on everyone they meet and we are proud to help out to bring their lives back up to speed in any way we can.

VR Camps – VR has been becoming a core focus for GameChanger Charity which is why we’re placing special emphasis on the technology and making it one of our 4 pillars. Over the course of 2018, we will visit 14 different sites and equip them with the hardware and software to run VR for patients.  We personally ship out the necessary equipment and one of our GameChanger team members will come to the hospital or camp to help with the set-up.  Once set-up is complete, we give a rundown of how to set it up and keep it running as well as various games, functions, and techniques which we have found to be most helpful in the hospital setting

We are planning for a huge 2018 right now and are looking to make an impact on average of one hospital per month.

As always, thank you so much for staying up on all things GameChanger! Be sure to follow us on Twitter in 2018!

The post Moving forward while looking back on 2017 first appeared on GameChanger Charity.