Gamers Gift

Gamers Gift helps those with limiting situations to enjoy life without limits through video games, virtual reality, and other electronic media. Whether the limits come from age, physical or mental disability, or illness, they result in restricted movement and missed opportunities. The abstract qualities of video games and virtual reality answer this challenge by helping people to experience the world in ways that provide escape, engaging social contact, and improved wellbeing. The organization partners with children’s hospitals, foster homes, VA hospitals, and assisted living facilities to provide game nights and thrilling virtual experiences like skiing down a snow-covered mountain, traversing the Australian Outback, riding roller coasters, or scuba diving in the tropics. Future plans include mock space exploration and discovering French geography. Imagine how that could change the world of someone trapped in an uncooperative body! Gamers Gift was founded by Dillon Hill when he was a senior in high school. Hill’s best friend Chris Betancourt was diagnosed with leukemia as a fifth-grader, and he helped Betancourt escape sterile hospital rooms and nauseating medicine with a fantasy life as a secret agent in a video game. When he saw how much good that diversion did for his friend, Hill set his sights on helping a wider audience in his Sacramento community, and Gamers Gift was born. Outreach programs include electronics donations along with recurring volunteer visits, game nights of playing video games with groups who need connection and improved morale, and virtual reality experiences. The organization is seeking local and online community support through fundraising and sponsorship as well as contacts within the healthcare community to expand its reach. To learn more or donate, visit www.gamersgift.org.