NewswireTODAY - /newswire/ - Tarzana, CA, United States, 2010/06/22 - 189-hour Mario gaming marathon sweeps across the digital universe for children with autism.

A group of video game loving philanthropists who call themselves TheSpeedGamers completed a 189-hour Mario-game marathon on Saturday to raise $57,301 for ACT Today! (Autism Care and Treatment Today!), a non profit organization with a mission to increase access to effective treatments for children with autism.

TheSpeedGamers (thespeedgamers.com) began the marathon on June 11th with the goal of playing Mario games for 168 hours non-stop. Once the group reached their 168th hour of gaming, they played for an additional 21 hours to reach their goal. This group of gamers urged donations by tempting viewers with added hours to the marathon. As a result, 2717 individual donations were made throughout the marathon. $9,000 of the money raised was through the sale of a special “Pipe Vault” t-shirt designed by Fangamer, LLC.

"These young gamers are absolutely amazing. Their generosity and passion combined is truly a testament to what a difference the younger generation is capable of making," says ACT Today!'s Executive Director Nancy Alspaugh-Jackson. This is the third marathon TheSpeedGamers have played to benefit ACT Today!. Last July, the gamers raised $50,735.00.

“Gamers in general get a bad rap and are thought of as lazy and unproductive. This gaming marathon demonstrates that gamers have big hearts. Gaming is a passion all of us have, and playing for a great cause makes it all the more enjoyable, "says founder Britt LaRiviere. “This was definitely my favorite marathon out of all of them. We had so much fun”.

For more information about ACT Today! and to make donations directly to the non-profit organization, visit act-today.org/.

Agency / Source: Center for Autism and Related Disorders, Inc.

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