BADAS Society raises $3150 at Extra Life to benefit UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital
Written by: Ryan Helterhoff
The Bachelor of Arts in Digital Arts and Sciences Society (BADAS) recently raised over $3,150 for Extra Life 2023, a 24-hour charitable gaming event benefiting UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital.
Extra Life is an annual livestream gaming event that aims to raise funds for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. Each year, thousands of people from around the world come together to livestream and play games for a full 24 hours in order to raise funds for children in need.
This year, BADAS Society, a student-run organization that provides a community for those in the BADAS program, hosted Extra Life at the Institute once again. Members played games, interacted with viewers, and participated in fundraising challenges while live-streaming the event on their Twitch channel. Throughout the 24-hour stream, they also had guest appearances from Institute lecturers who sat down to play and raise money for a good cause.
Justin Marlin, Assistant Director of Student Services and Administration at Digital Worlds, said this year’s event was a record-breaking success.
“We are extremely proud of the BADAS Society and their outstanding dedication and hard work towards Extra Life this year,” said Marlin. “Extra Life has been a long-standing tradition for BADAS since the inception of the program. Despite a brief hiatus during the pandemic, the students returned with enthusiasm and excitement, determined to organize a spectacular event, and they certainly delivered on their promise.”
The event took place from March 4–5 in the PICT at the UF Digital Worlds Institute. Ethan Tripp and Jared Crane of the Institute’s Operations team assisted in bringing the event to life using the facility’s immersive technology. The livestream included high-quality video and audio, as well as custom graphics and a live donation counter. The BADAS Society also collaborated with local organizations Opus Coffee and Swamp Boil to promote the event and raise funds.
Extra Life 2023 far exceeded its original goal of $2,500, raising critical funds for patients at UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital. They were even ranked 17th on the National Extra Life Leaderboard, outperforming thousands of other organizations.
