There are all kinds of ways to fundraise for a charitable cause, from bottle drives, to running to raffle draws.
However, for the third straight year, Extra Life Game Day is hoping to continue their success of raising money for the Alberta Children's Hospital in Calgary by busting out board games, video game consoles, card games and more for a day of fun at the Eagles Hall on Satruday, Oct. 15 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for kids 12 years of age and under.
It's an event that has grown, both in participation and funds raised since it first began three years ago, on the efforts of Dave Miller, Jeff Johnson and other volunteers.
Last year, the event raised over $4,300 and organizers have a ton of games lined up and over $10,000 in prizes available through silent auction or door prizes.
Prizes will be doled out in a variety of ways.
Prizes will be available for winners of three different Super Smash Bros tournaments and a Super Mario 3 score attack. Other video-game-themed events will also give participants the chance to win some prizes.
Lockdown Cranbrook Escape Rooms will have a presence with two 'escape pods' and local video game developers — Flying Helmet Games —will be showing off Eon Altar Chapter 2.
For specific gaming action, there will be tons of options to choose from.
First, there will be almost every single gaming system imaginable, which will include the ever-popular Retro Alley — a wall dedicated to old-time gaming systems such as the Atari and Original NES.
A card table will be going all day with poker, black jack and go fish if the dealer feels like it.
Other card games include Magic: The Gathering, Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh that will be going on, in conjunction with board games, spread out over 20 tables.
Kids will also have a dedicated area complete with colouring books, puzzles, Netflix, and pinatas.
Raising money for the Alberta Children's Hospital hits close to home for Miller, whose son, Alexander, received treatment for cardiomyopathy—where the heart grows to an abnormal size—at the Stollery Children's Hospital in Edmonton.
Though Alexander received treatment in Edmonton, the funds raised from Extra Life Game Day will go to the Alberta Children's Hospital in Calgary, as local kids in the East Kootenay region will likely head there first for treatment.