Several dedicated gamers will convene in an east side apartment for an entire weekend of marathon video gaming for charity. The event, called Nick’s Marathon, is a fund-raising effort done in the name of Nicholas Capobianco, who passed away earlier this year after losing his battle to leukemia.
Nick was a big fan of video games, so this type of marathon is completely appropriate to do in his name. Money will be raised for three charities that also tie back to Nick. The charities are:
• The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, the world's largest voluntary health organization dedicated to funding blood cancer research, education and patient services. The mission of LLS is to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. Nick suffered leukemia when he was a child, and though it went into remission, the cancer returned in Nick’s mid-twenties and ultimately proved fatal.
• Ronald McDonald House Charities, a non-profit organization, creates, finds and supports programs that directly improve the health and well being of children. RMHC programs are grassroots-driven to offer help where children need it most — right in their own communities. When Nick was a child with leukemia, he participated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the 100th Ronald MacDonald House in New Hyde Park, New York.
• Child's Play, a game industry charity dedicated to improving the lives of children with toys and games in its network of over 40 hospitals worldwide. It is a wonderful charity that helps improve the lives and spirits of thousands of inpatient pediatric patients all over the planet. Nick, ever the video game lover, was gaming in his hospital room up until a few days before his death.
Participants in the video-game marathon will attempt to play as many co-op (two or more players working together) games within the span of the weekend, foregoing sleep along the way. The marathon will also be broadcast live over the net, and anyone can log on to www.nicksmarathon.com to catch the action. While viewers have logged on to the site, they can then donate to help reach the goal of $5,000.
www.nicksmarathon.com was created in September 2008 by James Brief and Alan Noah, two friends of Nicholas Capobianco who wanted to do something positive, charitable, and fun to honor the memory of their friend. For further information, please contact Alan at alannoah79@gmail.com or (516) 521-4002 or James at jamesbrief@gmail.com, or (646) 391-8181.
