AGDQ continues to grow exponentially each year, both in the amount of money raised and in the number of members attending the event.

This year marks SDA’s 3^rd annual Awesome Games Done Quick (AGDQ) marathon, during which a community of gamers from around the country and around the world (Australia, Canada, Finland, Germany, Sweden and U.K.) join together to raise money for the Prevent Cancer Foundation. In this week-long event, gamers travel to the National 4-H Center in Chevy Chase, MD to play over 100 different games non-stop as fast as they can (also known as “speedrunning”). The event is streamed live as players perform speed-run challenges, sell t-shirts with the site Yetee and raffle off prizes, like Legend of Zelda artwork or a Zelda master sword, in order to encourage donations that will fund a two-year research grant and other essential cancer prevention and early detection programs. Last year’s marathon funded a two-year research grant awarded to Josanne Sousa, PhD of Vanderbilt University to support a study that has the potential to lead to an early detection test for stomach cancer.

The AGDQ marathon is still going strong and SDA has already surpassed last year’s total of $144,000! They continue to play around the clock, lose sleep and somehow maintain their energy in hopes of reaching their goal of $250,000 by the week’s end!

Executive Vice President and C.O.O. Jan Bresch poses with SDA members during a visit to the marathon.

What’s most inspiring about the marathon is the SDA community, a diverse group of people from all walks of life and all parts of the world who share a common interest in gaming and a common goal of helping a cause that touches everyone. Stephen Kiazyk, who traveled from Ontario, Canada, has been attending AGDQ since it first began to honor his grandmother and aunt who were both affected by cancer. In addition to playing the video game speed-runs, Stephen also uses his skills as a computer science graduate student to help with the technical side of the marathon. He even wrote the program the group is using to help process the thousands of incoming donations.

SDA members organize the dozens of handmade and donated prizes.

At first glance this event may look like a bunch of people sitting around playing video games but the work and commitment taking place behind the scenes is impressive. The work of organizers Mike Uyama, Chip Vogel and Timothy Peters, along with tech coordinator Benjamin Cutler has allowed this marathon, which started in a small basement, to grow into a gathering of over 100 on-site participants. They receive acclaim from many different members of the gaming community, including video game developers. Organizer Chip Vogel was awe-struck when the developer of a video game he was speed-running requested a Skype chat after his challenge!

Across the board, SDA participants have nothing but good things to say about the marathon, including newbie attendee Eric Koziel, from Boston, MA, who expressed the importance of the AGDQ event; “This marathon is going toward a great cause, and there are a lot of heartfelt moments and touching stories. This event will hopefully bring light to the cause and provide for better futures for many people.”

Cancer survivor and SDA member Marc Dziezynski showing off the hand-knit hat his wife Jessica made just for the marathon.

One of those amazing stories came from three-time participant Marc Dziezynski, a cancer survivor of an aggressive form of Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Marc spent his 21^st birthday in a hospital as he underwent chemotherapy. While stuck in the hospital for many weeks Marc discovered speed-run games and became an active member in the online community.  In 2010, when the Speed Demos Archives were looking for a charity organization to support, Marc, along with others, suggested that they find a cancer organization. This led to the SDA and Prevent Cancer Foundation partnership! Marc and his wife Jessica love what the Foundation stands for and they travel in from Connecticut every year to participate in AGDQ. According to Jessica, Marc’s love of gaming helped him get through the difficult experience of chemotherapy.

This week Foundation Executive Vice President & COO Jan Bresch stopped by the marathon to thank and praise SDA members and their supporters for all their contributions. Ms. Bresch also highlighted how much the marathon has grown over the years and shared the message of cancer prevention and early detection. The Prevent Cancer Foundation thanks Speed Demos Archive, the AGDQ participants and the thousands of donors who make this event possible. A special thanks to Design Cuisine, Ledo’s Pizza and Subway for their in-kind donations. To learn more about how you can join the SDA in saving lives through cancer prevention, visit the SDA site, where you can check out all the live action.

The online auction will showcase 30 carefully selected and highly coveted items ranging from once- in- a- lifetime experiences to deluxe air travel. A sampling of some of the outstanding Gala Online Auction items include:

• A mixed case of California wines, all rated 100 by Robert Parker
• A coveted slot in the Waterfall Salmon Fishing Tournament on a private island in Alaska
• A week’s stay in a four-bedroom apartment in Venice, Italy
• A week’s stay aboard a 51-foot, private sailing yacht with 5 staterooms in the British Virgin Islands
• Business class travel to Zurich, Switzerland for two and a 3-night stay at the Park Hyatt Zurich
• Four nights’ accommodation in a suite in the Hempel, a leading boutique hotel in London
• Exquisite and unique pieces of  jewelry, designed by Elizabeth Locke and Joan Horning
• A week’s stay (winter or summer) in a private home in Sun Valley (ID)
• 2 VIP tickets to a taping of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.

The online auction will also contain items exclusive for bidding only by 2012 Gala attendees, such as:

• Use of personal vacation homes in the Vail Valley (CO) and Cape May (NJ)
• Rounds of golf for 3 with your host at 5 private clubs in the Washington, DC area
• A lunch hosted by a prominent U.S. Senator in the Senate Dining Room
• A “power lunch” at the residence of the Ambassador of Lichtenstein
• Private dinners hosted by the Ambassadors of Switzerland and Indonesia in their residences.

We do hope you are able to attend the Annual Spring Gala on March 9, enjoy an unforgettable evening and bid on these remarkable items so generously donated to Stop Cancer Before It Starts!  For tickets or more information contact Development Associate Dorothy Abernathy at 703-837-3698 or via email at Dorothy.abernathy@preventcancer.org.

Gaming to "Stop Cancer Before It Starts!" SDA member at work

That’s right! Members of Speed Demos Archive (SDA) just ran a six-day nonstop video gaming marathon called Awesome Games Done Quick (AGDQ) 2012, with 100% of donations benefitting the Prevent Cancer Foundation. The group focuses on “speedrunning”, or completing video games in the shortest amount of time possible. I was able to visit the event on both the kickoff and wrap up days, and I was pleasantly surprised and awestruck at the world of gaming that was opened up to me.

Last year’s event, AGDQ 2011, more than doubled the group’s initial goal and brought in $53,000 for the Foundation. On Wednesday, January 4 of this year, the attendees of AGDQ were geared up for an even bigger, better and more successful marathon than last year’s event. Dozens of guys and girls from around the country and even around the world gathered in Chevy Chase, MD, to set up and run the multiple TVs, gaming consoles and computer screens necessary to stream the event live. Some came from as far as Australia, Germany and France to participate. One attendee even took the train from Chicago while seven months pregnant to be there!

Speed Demos Archive members with Prevent Cancer Foundation's Liona Chan and Cheryssa Jensen during Day 1 of Awesome Games Done Quick 2012

Over 5,800 donors from around the world contributed over $145,000, with an average gift of about $25. One donor, Marshall, contributed $90 because “this is a cause near to my heart since my grandfather lost his second battle with cancer” while another donor, Gabriel, gave $555, saying “with this my total donations are now $2,500 and every dollar is well worth it going to such a cause as this.”

The funds were partially raised through raffle prizes, event t-shirt sales, and engaging game challenges. As if playing Monkey Ball isn’t challenging enough, try racing through it while eating a piece of pizza at the same time. Or playing anything with a giant sombrero completely covering your eyes and facing the opposite direction. Other challenges included playing shirtless and two people simultaneously using one controller. An average of 3,500 to 8,000 viewers per hour tuned in to watch the video stream that was broadcast live on the SDA website, with a peak viewing count of over 12,000 people at one time.

SDA members gaming to "Stop Cancer Before It Starts!"

The Foundation will be naming a two-year cancer research grant after SDA, with the rest of the funds going toward continuing the Foundation’s research, education, advocacy and community outreach work. Even though the marathon is officially over, you can still watch live feed now and donate through the SDA website until January 15. For more information, visit the SDA site.

SDA Members at the 2011 "Awesome Games Done Quick"

Beginning tomorrow, we will be hosting an event where our site’s members will be using their skills to raise money for a fantastic organization—the Prevent Cancer Foundation. From January 4 -9, we will hold a video game charity marathon called “Awesome Games Done Quick 2012.”  Approximately 80 of our site’s community members will gather together at the Chevy Chase 4-H community center to play through over 100 different games non-stop as fast as they can. These games range from NES classics such as Super Mario Bros. and Mega Man 2, to recent titles such as Portal 2 and Halo: Reach.  The entire event will be streamed live via justin.tv on our front page and all the while, we’ll be taking donations for PCF.

(L. to R.) Speed Demos Archive members Mike Uyama, Chip Vogel and Timothy Peters with Prevent Cancer Foundation E.V.P. & COO Jan Bresch and Special Events Senior Director Linda Chastain

During the event, we will also be raffling off some great prizes for our viewers who generously donate during our marathon. A Legend of Zelda Master Sword, a Super Meat Boy tenderizer, games (including a boxed copy of Earthbound!), a Sonic comic collection, perlers (bead art) and plushies are only a portion of what we’ll be giving away!  Donors will also be able to influence certain things that happen during gameplay. Things like character names, gameplay variations and specific challenges will be determined by the highest bidder, creating a fun and interactive experience for the viewers.

This will be the second such event we’ve done to benefit PCF.  Last year, we succeeded in raising over $53,000 and we believe that this one will be bigger and better than the last.  For more information on the event, check out the marathon website, and we invite you to come to our front page from January 4-9th to take part in the round-the-clock fun! It’s going to be a great time–you won’t want to miss it!

Spray of Sunshine in Lincoln Park is aiming to start a sunless revolution! They have teamed up with the Prevent Cancer Foundation and starting June 20, they will kick off a week long benefit to help educate our community about safe tanning and skin cancer prevention.

Free spray tans and skin scans will be given the entire week with a donation to the Prevent Cancer Foundation. Event participants will first be able to have a skin scan, which takes less than a minute and shows underlying sun damage not visible to the naked eye. Then they can choose to have a complimentary Mystic Tan or Custom Airbrush Tan. Customers will leave with a beautiful, safe, and natural looking tan, along with information on sun safety and skin cancer prevention.

Spray of Sunshine’s state of the art sunless tanning studios are 100% UV Free and is the first completely sunless salon in Chicago. They specialize in custom airbrush tanning and with over 10 years of experience, they prove that orange, streaky sunless tans are a thing of the past.

Spray of Sunshine’s sunless tanning facility is located in Lincoln Park at 1647 N. Clybourn Ave Chicago, IL 60614. Due to the popularity of this event, appointments are strongly recommended. Appointments are available by calling 312-280-8100 or they can also be scheduled online at www.sprayofsunshine.com

The Prevent Cancer Foundation applauds Realm Music Group and Ricki Eric for their generosity and commitment to cancer prevention and early detection. Stop cancer before it starts and participate in the upcoming golf outing or purchase Ricki’s latest album. Please take a moment to watch the video about what else Realm Music Group and their artists are doing to “Rock the Fight” against cancer and for prevention and early detection.