Gamers raise $25,000 for Haiti relief

By Hector Cortez Jan 23, 2010, 13:43 GMT

When all was said and done, gamers\' contributions totaled $25,000, of which every penny will go to the American Red Cross.

Over the recent holiday weekend, the community of gamers from various Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) games came together as one for a good cause: raising money for those affected by the Haiti earthquake. When all was said and done, gamers' contributions totaled $25,000, of which every penny will go to the American Red Cross.

“In just three days we were able to reach our goal of $25,000 and it’s all because of the generosity of our players,” said John Smedley, president of Sony Online Entertainment. “They really stepped up for a good cause and we’re proud to lend support to the estimated 3 million Haitians affected by the recent earthquakes.”

SOE supported emergency relief efforts to help those affected by the Haiti earthquake by donating $10 for every Haiti Relief item purchased in EverQuest, EverQuest II and Free Realms to the American Red Cross Haiti Relief and Development fund. Haiti Relief items included the Haiti Relief Plush Bear, the Protectors of the Faydark Crate, and the spiked T-Rex pet. Items were available from January 15-18 in the in-game Marketplace for 500 Station Cash, SOE’s in-game currency.

Raising funds for the American Red Cross is the second charity project of 2010 for SOE, which just finished up a month-long drive for Penny-Arcade's "Child’s Play," a charity dedicated to providing children with toys and age-appropriate games at more than 70 hospitals worldwide. $26,900 were raised for the annual Penny-Arcade charity.