AHS eSports Club Raises Money for Children’s Hospitals of Wisconsin

On Saturday, November 4th, Arrowhead’s eSports club came together to raise money for Children’s Hospitals of Wisconsin through an organization called Extra Life. Over 20 students showed up at school at 8:30 am, gaming for a cause until 5:00 pm. Each student raised awareness through emails and social media to gather donations. The eSports club raised nearly $2,500 for the cause, with many students raising over $200 themselves.

Extra Life unites thousands of gamers globally to play games for a good cause. According to www.extra-life.org, all of the money the gamers raise goes directly to their chosen Children’s Miracle Network Hospital. The donation becomes unrestricted funds, which means the hospital decides where and how the money is spent to best impact the lives of the kids that they treat.

On National Game Day, Extra Life hosts a 24-hour gaming marathon, but gamers may continue to raise money through the organization year-round.

Michael Dahle, Arrowhead business and marketing teacher and head of the eSports club, says, “This event was first brought to my attention by a couple of students and I let them spearhead it, but their follow through disappeared by the next semester and I saw the potential of this event, so I took over. We learned a lot from our first year and encountered a lot of obstacles, so this year ran a lot more smoothly and had more participation out of our students.”

Sophomore Alec Dahms says he has been a member of the eSports club since the beginning of his freshman year. He says that he really likes participating in the Extra Life gaming marathon.

“It is an amazing cause that is fun to do at the same time,” says Dahms.

Throughout the week leading up to the event, the students that participated sent out emails, made phone calls, and spread awareness about the to raise money, according to Dahms. Then, Saturday was the game day to raise even more money.

Dahle says that the club will continue to participate in the event next year.

The eSports club meets every Friday afternoon in room N143 until about 5:00 pm, where everyone is welcome. Dahle says they play all sorts of video and tabletop games.

“I think it’s a great opportunity to meet students with similar interests. We have all types of students that come and hang out every Friday. I recommend it because it’s a fun community who really enjoys playing video games, socializing, and eating pizza,” says Dahle.

Dahms says, “It’s a very welcoming environment where you will meet many new people.”

Dahle says he started the club in spring of 2013 because he saw how many students were interested in gaming, and he found a national league for students to compete in.

“I really love the eSports club because I have been a lifelong gamer myself and even had a teacher in high school that would let us use her computer lab to hold gaming tournaments after school too,” says Dahle.

Dahle says he loves dedicating his Friday afternoons to hanging out after school to play video games and eat pizza with the students.

It’s also a great place to meet new people, says Dahms.

“I have had a chance to meet many new people who I became friends with over this past year along with Mr. Dahle, who really connects with the students,” says Dahms.

The eSports club welcomes new faces every week, says Dahle, so it’s never too late to join. There are currently 110+ students on the mailing list for the club, and around 30-40 students attend the meetings each week.

If you are interested in joining the eSports club, you should send Dahle an email at [email protected] to be added to the mailing list. You’ll receive any important information you need, such as what games are being played.