In a press release sent out yesterday, AbleGamers, a charity organization dedicated to breaking down the barriers of economic and social isolation for people with disabilities, announced that Children’s Hospital in New Orleans, Louisiana (CHNOLA), is the recipient of the non-profit’s July 2018 Expansion Pack. It includes a donation of about $10,000 in assistive technologies, custom controllers, specialized training sessions, and video games. The donation was sponsored by Humble Bundle, Microsoft, and video game hardware manufacturer HyperX.

Rene Assetta Guilbeau, Director, Child Life and Creative Therapies at CHNOLA, thanked AbleGamers by saying:

We’re so grateful for the support of AbleGamers and all the other sponsors who are donating items as part of this Expansion Pack. Hospitals can be a scary place for children and research has shown that playing video games can serve as a much-needed distraction – or even help as a therapy tool. Providing this specialized equipment will allow our patients to enjoy video games regardless of their disabilities, which will hopefully brighten up their days and allow them to have a little fun.

Mark Barlet, the Founder and Executive Director of AbleGamers, used the opportunity to speak about their mission:

Everyone deserves to have fun. We believe with the right set of tools and training, every hospital can have the ability to use video games for fun and rehabilitation. Some patients have a permanent disability, some have a temporary disability, and others are just sick and need a place to retreat away from the pain. Video games provide that way to escape from your troubles, make new friends, or stay connected to loved ones. That’s why I couldn’t be happier we are able to help wonderful places like the New Orleans Children’s Hospital.

Some of the video game industry’s biggest companies made this Expansion Pack possible though their generous offerings. Microsoft is donating a variety of family-friendly games, HyperX is contributing some of their award-winning hardware, and Humble Bundle is donating some of their proceeds from the Humble Monthly Bundle.

In addition to the upcoming Expansion Pack deployment at CHNOLA, AbleGamers is teaming up with Microsoft Studios for the upcoming Gears Pro Circuit and Halo Championship Series. It will be held at New Orleans Convention Center from July 13-15 and feature simultaneous standalone tournaments with non-stop action. As part of the Expansion Pack, local AbleGamers members and patients at CHNOLA will be able to attend for free. They’ll get to see behind-the-scene details, watch a whole variety of video games, and root for their favorite pro players.