Neighbor News
Howard Co. Teen Uses Popular Livestreaming Platform to Raise Fund
--Exceeds Fundraising Goal to Help Kids Diagnosed with Leukemia—
Howard County Teen Uses Popular Livestreaming Platform to Raise Funds for Cancer Research
--Exceeds Fundraising Goal to Help Kids Diagnosed with Leukemia—
COLUMBIA, Md. – From the comforts of his own home, Theodore “Theo” Lazarou used his gaming skills for a fundraiser on Twitch, the popular live streaming platform, that raised over $700 for Johns Hopkins Medicine and the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center’s clinical research efforts into pediatric leukemia.
The 18-year-old Long Reach High School graduate and incoming UMBC freshman, under the moniker HexSpeedruns, was Speedrunning a “602 race” during a 24-hour Super Mario themed event over the weekend. Speedrunning, a popular form of entertainment in the gaming community, involves players trying to break records by finishing games in as little time as possible, often using glitches in a game's code and advanced techniques to skip ahead.
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“I want to thank my family, friends and fellow gamers who donated while watching my stream and supported me during this important effort,” said Lazarou. “Without their support none of this would have been possible.”
By means of his 1,000 followers on Twitch, Lazarou used his presence to help raise funds for a cure to pediatric leukemia, a cause that has become incredibly important to him. For the second time in seven months, Lazarou has used Speedrunning on Twitch to raise approximately $2,000.00 for Hopkins research into pediatric leukemia. Back in November, during the Thanksgiving Day holiday break from school, Lazarou raised close to $1,000 for the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center.
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“I think its safe to say that certain gamers, regardless of age, are making it their personal mission to use their special skills to help those in need, “added Lazarou. “I am proud to be a part of this new way of philanthropy and I am looking forward to doing more to help those who are less fortunate.”
Anyone who is interested in donating to Lazarou’s endeavor to help pediatric leukemia research at Johns Hopkins can do so by visiting https://bit.ly/2SlaZcw