Extra Life North celebrates gaming while raising money for HSC Children’s Hospital
Posted August 9, 2026 5:43 pm.
Last Updated August 10, 2026 1:43 pm.
Established in 2008, Extra Life is a fundraising program that has raised over $145 million for children’s hospitals across Canada and the U.S. through video games.
“It’s a way that people can take something they’re already going to be doing. Gaming, playing games and having fun, and really channel that to do good in the world,” said Graeme Fortlage, the president of Extra Life Winnipeg.
“We always hear sort of the negative stereotypes of gamers. Oh, it’s the guy in his mom’s basement, Cheeto fingers, that kind of stuff. But this is a real example of what gamers can do when they come together as a community and can do good for kids in the hospital who might not be going through the best time right now.”
Fortlage says that locally, the goal is to raise 135,000 this year. They’re already closing in on 6,000 dollars for this weekend’s fundraiser, which would triple last year’s donations.
Michael Oliver lives in Texas; he travels around North America to attend Extra Life events and to raise money for the cause. For him, the most rewarding part is the smiles he brings to children’s faces, especially when he has his custom “Extra Life Captain America shield”.
“My favourite thing about the national events is they bring a couple of champions in; locally, they’ll bring local champions in. So these are all kids from Manitoba; when I do stuff in Portland, I get to see the Portland, Maine, kids, and in Kansas City, I get to see the Kansas City kids. But at a national event, I get to see kids from all over the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico, get to hear their stories, and that keeps you engaged year over year,” said Oliver.
This year’s champion child is nine-year-old Ireland Gault, who was born with congenital hearing loss.
“Ireland was the very first baby to be implanted with cochlear implants in our province at the time, as she was 10 months old and she was hearing for her first birthday, so she’s been a little trailblazer in Winnipeg, and she’s this year’s 2026 champion child,” said Courtney Gault, Ireland’s mother.
