DrLupo surpasses $1 million milestone for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital® during 24-hour Fortnite livestream

MEMPHIS, Tenn., Dec. 23, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Gaming celebrity Benjamin "DrLupo" Lupo involved the online gaming community during a 24-hour Fortnite livestream Saturday to surpass his goal, raising $1.3 million in 2018 to support the mission of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital: Finding cures. Saving children.® During the 24-hour stream, Lupo totaled more than $611,000 in donations from 85 different countries around the world.

"DrLupo, his fan base and the entire gaming community have truly embraced the St. Jude mission in a huge way," said Richard Shadyac Jr, President and CEO of ALSAC, the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. "To raise $1 million for the kids of St. Jude in just one year is an incredible milestone and makes him a leader among his gaming peers. By helping pioneer this innovative way of fundraising, he and his community are leading the charge for the future of fundraising by helping St. Jude continue to fight childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases."

Earlier this year Lupo engaged his fans to give back during GuardianCon -- a week-long, 24-hour-a-day gaming event that benefits the lifesaving mission of St. Jude. In total, Lupo is responsible for $659,000 of the total raised by GuardianCon, helping the event exceed its goal of $2.4 million. In addition, he launched the Build Against Cancer t-shirt campaign earlier this month in collaboration with Design by Humans, raising more than $140,000.

Because of supporters like DrLupo, families at St. Jude never receive a bill for treatment, travel, housing or food – because all a family should worry about is helping their child live.

"One of the best parts of being a streamer is seeing communities of people form, and working with those communities to help benefit others and leave a legacy of positivity," Lupo said. "Having the opportunity to engage the gaming community in the mission of St. Jude has been life changing, and I'm so grateful to continue to be a part of this legacy to show the good that gaming will do to change people's lives."

Lupo has also taken part in St. Jude PLAY LIVE, a program that allows creators to stream video games while raising money for kids at St. Jude and has raised more than $10 million in the last four years.

To learn more about the lifesaving mission of St. Jude, visit stjude.org.

About St. Jude Children's Research Hospital^®
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Its purpose is clear: Finding cures. Saving children.^® It is the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children. Treatments invented at St. Jude have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20 percent to more than 80 percent since the hospital opened more than 50 years ago. St. Jude won't stop until no child dies from cancer. St. Jude freely shares the discoveries it makes, and every child saved at St. Jude means doctors and scientists worldwide can use that knowledge to save thousands more children. Families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food – because all a family should worry about is helping their child live. Join the St. Jude mission by visiting stjude.org, liking St. Jude on Facebook, following St. Jude on Twitter and Instagram and subscribing to its YouTube channel.

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SOURCE ALSAC/St. Jude Children's Research Hospital