GRAPEVINE, Texas, Jan. 20, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- During
the 2016 holiday season, GameStop, a global family of specialty
retail brands that makes the most popular technologies affordable
and simple, invited its customers and associates to be game
changers by raising money and awareness for
Make-A-Wish®. More than $2.4 million was raised through the fundraising
campaign to help grant wishes for children with life-threatening
medical conditions.
For the third annual in-store campaign, GameStop expanded its
fundraising efforts on a global scale to include its ThinkGeek,
Simply Mac and AT&T Spring Mobile stores in the U.S., and EB
Games stores in Canada. The
success of this year's campaign is a direct result of the generous
giving spirit from these communities.
GameStop associates and customers were motivated by wish kid
Stewart, who served as the Wish Kid Ambassador for the 2016 holiday
campaign. Earlier this year, Stewart and his family were flown to
Anaheim, Calif., under the guise
of being the Wish Kid Ambassador, and instead was surprised
on-stage in front of 5,000 GameStop associates that his wish to go
behind-the-scenes and see how video games are made would be coming
true the next day thanks to Activision!
"We set out in 2016 with a corporate social responsibility
vision to use gaming, technology and geek fanaticism for the Power
of Good," said Rob Lloyd, chief
financial officer of GameStop and Make-A-Wish®
North Texas board member. "Our
holiday fundraising campaign demonstrates how collectively our
associates and customers, across all our brands in the U.S. and
Canada, are passionate about the
great work Make-A-Wish does for children in need. We are excited to
see what we can accomplish together for Make-A-Wish during 2017-
the 10-year anniversary of our partnership."
GameStop has been a proud supporter of Make-A-Wish since 2007,
raising nearly $6 million. Currently,
an average of one wish kid per day specifically requests a shopping
spree at GameStop as part of their wish. To date, more than 2,000
wish kids have benefited from GameStop's generosity through gift
cards they provide to enhance these shopping sprees and electronics
wishes.
"Research shows that a wish has a lasting and substantial impact
on the emotional and physical health of children fighting critical
illnesses," said David Williams,
president and chief executive officer of Make-A-Wish America. "For
10 years, GameStop has continued to increase their support of our
mission and our goal to reach every eligible child through this
in-store campaign, hosting wishes daily, and enhancing the wish
experience for thousands of wish kids. They have truly made a
significant impact on the lives of wish kids and their
families."
About GameStop
GameStop Corp. (NYSE: GME), a
Fortune 500 company headquartered in Grapevine, Texas, is a global, multichannel
video game, consumer electronics and wireless services retailer.
GameStop operates more than 7,500 stores across 14 countries. The
company's consumer product network also includes www.gamestop.com;
www.Kongregate.com, a leading browser-based game site; Game
Informer® magazine, the world's leading print and digital video
game publication; and ThinkGeek, www.thinkgeek.com, the premier
retailer for the global geek community featuring exclusive and
unique video game and pop culture products. In addition, our
Technology Brands segment includes Simply Mac and Spring Mobile
stores. Simply Mac, www.simplymac.com, operates 70 stores, selling
the full line of Apple products, including laptops, tablets, and
smartphones and offering Apple certified warranty and repair
services. Spring Mobile, www.springmobile.com, sells all of
AT&T's products and services, including DIRECTV through its
1,429 AT&T branded stores and offers pre-paid wireless
services, devices and related accessories through its 70 Cricket
branded stores in select markets in the U.S.
General information about GameStop Corp. can be obtained at the
company's corporate website. Follow @GameStop on Twitter and find
GameStop on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GameStop.
About Make-A-Wish®
Make-A-Wish grants the wishes of children with life-threatening
medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope,
strength and joy. According to a 2011 U.S. study of wish impact,
most health professionals surveyed believe a wish-come-true has
positive impacts on the health of children. Kids say wishes give
them renewed strength to fight their illness, and their parents say
these experiences help strengthen the entire family. Headquartered
in Phoenix, Make-A-Wish is one of
the world's leading children's charities, serving children in every
community in the United States and
its territories. With the help of generous donors and more than
28,000 volunteers, Make-A-Wish grants a wish somewhere in the
country every 35 minutes. It has granted more than 270,000 wishes
since its inception in 1980; more than 14,800 in 2015 alone. Visit
Make-A-Wish at www.wish.org to learn more.
To view the original version on PR Newswire,
visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/make-a-wish-gamestop-kick-off-10-year-partnership-anniversary-celebrating-24-million-raised-during-2016-global-holiday-campaign-300394204.html
SOURCE Make-A-Wish Foundation of America