When donations need a nudge, Twitch® streamer Meg Kaylee calls on her “One Dollar Army” for help.
It begins with one person donating just one dollar, and quickly creates a chain reaction of single-dollar donations, demonstrating the big impact that small gestures can have.
“I always like to remind people that when we all come together, it all adds up,” Meg said. “The way we get change is by everyone stepping up to do something, even if it seems small.”
Meg is part of a growing number of streamers who play and stream video games for more than just wins — they play for a cure.
In the past five years, the gaming community has raised more than $10 million for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital through the St. Jude PLAY LIVE® program, earning the attention of some of the biggest names in the industry, as well as large gaming conventions.
“We wanted to support a charity that does good internationally, and St. Jude freely shares its research around the world while also providing care to patients and families free of charge,” said Ben Bowman, one of the founders of GuardianCon, a gathering of gamers that has raised more than $4 million as part of St. Jude PLAY LIVE. “It’s a perfect fit for us.”
St. Jude PLAY LIVE engages thousands of gamers who play their favorite video games on streaming platforms. As they broadcast to friends and fans, viewers are able to donate and support St. Jude as they watch in real time.
Streamers play with St. Jude patients at a St. Jude PLAY LIVE summit.
In order to raise as much money as possible, the streamers often offer various incentives to their viewers. One streamer even let her viewers pick the color she would dye her hair.
“The first time I went to St. Jude, I left feeling so driven and so passionate, like I’d never felt before,” Meg said. “I wanted to do everything I could for these kids, and I wanted to show other people why this is a cause worth fighting for.”
Meg has since followed through on that goal — her fundraising team set the record for the highest team campaign in St. Jude PLAY LIVE history.
Meg and her teammates got creative to see who could raise the most money for St. Jude. Whoever raised the most created a challenge that the last-place team member had to complete.
We’re all playing for the same team, because it’s all going to St. Jude, but if you add some competitiveness, it really helps to incentivize people.
After two St. Jude PLAY LIVE summits — where gamers get to tour St. Jude and learn about the hospital — and three hospital visits, Meg is somewhat of a St. Jude fundraising veteran. But there are new faces also raising notable amounts of money through St. Jude PLAY LIVE.
One streamer, who goes by her username negaoryx, has only been streaming on Twitch for two years — and has only fundraised with St. Jude PLAY LIVE for one — but she has already raised $27,000 for St. Jude.
St. Jude patient Korei playing at St. Jude PLAY LIVE summit.
She was struck by the widespread kindness and generosity of the Twitch community.
“St. Jude PLAY LIVE is bringing together a community of people who are already good, already kindhearted and charitable. The goodwill and the kindness is already there, but St. Jude PLAY LIVE gives it an outlet,” negaoryx said. “It taps into the compassion and humanity in all of us.”
"I wanted to do everything I could for these kids," said Meg. "And I wanted to show other people why this is a cause worth fighting for.”
TWITCH, TWITCH TV, the TWITCH Logo and/or the Glitch Logo are trademarks of Twitch Interactive, Inc. or its affiliates.
Help our families focus on their sick child, not medical bills.
When you donate monthly, your gift means families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food — because all a family should worry about is helping their child live.
Read more inspiring stories
-
Virtual reality helps Nancy Rios understand her son Yariel’s surgery for Ewing sarcoma
Learn how virtual reality is being used at St. Jude to help educate patients and families about surgical procedures such as that used to treat Ewing sarcoma.
-
Limiting the side effects of treatment: Proton Therapy provides focused radiation
St. Jude has the world’s first proton therapy center dedicated to childhood cancer. Patients come from all over to receive treatment. One such patient is Brianna Gonzales.
-
Research may help Camille take her first steps
Research conducted by the Center for Experimental Neurotherapeutics may help patients like Camille, who has type 2 spinal muscular atrophy, gain the ability to walk.
-
Journey to the Jude: Besian Sejdiu, Structural Biology, Kosovo
Sejdiu is proud to serve an organization that is a locally, nationally and internationally respected driving force in research, pediatrics and employee recruitment.
-
Family chooses St. Jude because of SAMD9/SAMD9L researcher
Family chooses St. Jude for care because of its expertise in SAMD9/SAMD9L syndrome.
-
Journey to the Jude: Lyudmila Tsurkan, PhD, Hematology, Kazakhstan
St. Jude lead researcher Lyudmila Tsurkan of Hematology smiles when recalling her childhood in the central Asian nation of Kazakhstan.
-
Paws at Play: St. Jude welcomes furry, four-legged colleagues
St. Jude child life specialists welcome Puggle and Huckleberry, the hospital’s newest employees. Read more about their journey and St. Jude Paws at Play.
-
MRI technologist is inspired throughout career at St. Jude
With a strong support system of women in her life, Mary Jo Freeman has advanced from a hopeful student to a seasoned MRI specialist. Find out about her journey at St. Jude.
-
A Dream Realized: St. Jude employees share connections to hospital’s 57th anniversary
Learn more about the hospital’s origins through two employee stories.
-
Nurse Residency Program helps chart professional path
Andrew Hardee felt anxious about starting his professional journey in health care. With help from the Nurse Residency Program and supportive managers at St. Jude, Hardee began his career with confidence and discovered his passion for inspiring future generations of nurses.
-
Finding Light in the Darkness
Friendships and memory-making activities helped Grace Hilton during her cancer treatment. Read more about Grace’s story.
-
St. Jude LIFE Participant Brings Hope to Others
Childhood cancer survivor inspires hope in others
-
From Pain Crises to Good Vibes
Rashawn Hendrix says St. Jude doctors take his sickle cell pain seriously and that help him manage.it.
-
Writing her story helps Indiana teen process her emotions
Through the St. Jude ChronCan study, Jinger Vincent uses creative writing to process her cancer experience.
-
Molecular diagnostics give Fletcher what some thought impossible: a diagnosis and treatment plan
Molecular diagnostics give Fletcher Fazenbaker what some thought impossible: a diagnosis and treatment plan for infant-type hemispheric glioma (IHG), a subtype of high-grade glioma — a rare brain tumor — that was not classified by the World Health Organization’s brain tumor classification guide until 2021