A group of gaming influencers/streamers in the Evolved talent management network have raised $97,000 in donations for victims of the Los Angeles fires.
Just as the fires have been quelled by rain (and now led to the risk of mudslides), the streamers have raised money for the Habitat for Humanity’s LA Recovery funds. Beyond overall rebuilding efforts, the streamers supported Habitat’s fund because of it’s immediate and practical efforts to provide cash to needy families struggling with relocation. A number of Los Angeles gaming people lost their homes in the fires.
Organized by the talent management agency Evolved, the group focused on creating a one-day charity stream last week to provide families with immediate and very real financial assistance. All told, the streamers raised money for a collective 100 hours.
The funding targeted low-income and financially distressed families in the greater Los Angeles region, and Habitat for Humanity is in the process of providing immediate financial assistance to families recovering from displacement. That means gift cards for food and essentials, direct rent or mortgage payment assistance, and replacing home furnishings.
The streamers involved included xQc (link), Amouranth (link), the Botez Sisters (link) and Sweet Anita (link). The latter juggled for 10 seconds for every $10 earned. xQc raised the most with $25,400 raised, followed by Jerma ($24.7k) and theStrangeRebel ($15k).
Evolved’s streamers were not affected by the fires themselves, but almost all of them knew people who were affected or had to relocate, said Ryan Morrison, CEO of Evolved Talent, in an interview with GamesBeat.
“It was a very easy conversation to get them to help,” Morrison. “They did it with less than 72 hours notice and raised $97,000. Twitch put them on the front page.”
He added, “Streamers can forget they are playing a character. When things hit the fan, it’s nice to see the people who don’t get the nicest headlines do the most to help.”
The Los Angeles region was on fire since January 7 after the Santa Ana winds ignited and spread fires across the region, wiping out places like Pacific Palisades and Altadena. Across the multiple fires, tens of thousands of residents were displayed, 12,000 homes and structures were destroyed across 40,000 acres. The fires were the most-destructive fire in Los Angeles history.
Meanwhile, in other efforts, Activision announced the Tracer Pack: LA Fire Relief Ultra Skin, as a digital skin that players in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 can buy to help with fire relief. All of Activision’s proceeds for this Bundle will be donated to relief efforts related to the Los Angeles wildfires.
Riot Games provided a backup generator to a local fire station that had lost power during the fires. It also donated 400 meals from its employee cafeteria to emergency responders.
It’s not just the game industry helping out as well. Actress Charlize Theron made a big donation to the LA Fire Department Foundation and Direct Relief, and encouraged fans to do so as well. Other celebrities like The Weeknd, Beyonce, Taylor Swift and Jennifer Lopez also made donations.
Musicians are holding a livestream and live concert called LA Gives Back: Fire Relieve on January 29 at The Bellwether in Los Angeles.