Manteca Gamer Raises Thousands for Valley Children’s Hospital.

When Manteca gamer Steven Andersen first began raising funds for Valley Children’s Hospital in 2018, he had no idea that he would be able to raise thousands of dollars.

When California shut down in March due to Corona virus, Steven’s job was one of many that halted. Knowing that thousands of others were out of work, Steven wrestled with the thought of continuing to host charity streams. He typically dedicates one stream, which can be as long as 12 hours, each month to Extra Life.

Extra Life is a fundraising platform designed by Children’s Miracle Network specifically for the gaming community. It was created to unite individuals who enjoy playing games, both online and offline, to support their local children’s hospital. Players from all over North America use the platform to fundraise as they stream, on their social media, and through special events and competitions to raise money for their local children’s hospitals.

Steven decided to continue streaming for one main reason – for the kids in the Central Valley. “Just because the world stops turning doesn’t mean that we stop caring,” he expressed to me over the phone. Kids are still sick and injured – families are still in need, if not even more so at this time.

In January this year, Steven spent a lot more time at home than expected after injuring his back in a car accident. It was at that time that he decided to reintroduce himself by converting from Twitch to Mixer. He praises the community on Mixer who have intentionally supported his cause. He has been able to build strong relationships with others in the chat or through conversations over stream. Every so often Steven creates incentives for those who give. He continues to raise his goal higher and higher as he meets each one. He promises his fans he’ll get an Extra Life tattoo when he raises $5,000. We look forward to seeing that! He has already raised $3,752 so far!

At the beginning of this year, he and two friends got together to create a podcast called Dad’s in Gaming (found on all audio streaming platforms). They began publishing once a week in January and already have more than 300 listeners on Spotify alone. In addition, Steven is a brand ambassador for two streaming games as well as Gamer Advantage – a company that sells glasses to help protect people’s eyes from the blue lights in our screens.

For Steven this cause hits close to home. At about three months old his daughter was diagnosed with a heart defect called pulmonary valve stenosis. Her pulmonary valve was too small, preventing the proper amount of oxygen and blood flow to the heart. Thankfully, Adelyn, now 3, did not need open heart surgery and with time her pulmonary valve has been growing larger and stronger. Steven and his wife Brittany can definitely relate to other parents of sick kids.

Steven and Brittany have big hearts for service. In addition to participating in Extra Life they have engaged in other service activities with their church. Overall their family has a giving mindset, so for Steven, using his platform to help others is no big deal. But for Valley Children’s Hospital, this is no small thing.

Thank you Steve for all you do for Valley Children’s – you’re our hero!