@ztevans (Zach Evans) recently joined @HokieSmash and myself @TalkinACCSports on our ACC Weekly Podcast show to preview the North Carolina football team. @ztevans had some great insights and it was a fun interview. At the end of the podcast Zach told us about a charity he’s supporting called Extra Life. We are happy to share this piece that Zach wrote that tells us more about this Charity.
Please take a moment to read this from @ztevans
I was excited to be on Episode 44 of the ACC Weekly Podcast. It was my first time on a podcast of any sort, and this one is always loose and entertaining. It would be a chance during the offseason to talk about the Tar Heels, something I have always loved to do.
However, there was another reason I was excited to be on the podcast. I wanted to use the opportunity to announce that I would be participating in the 2014 edition of the Extra Life fundraiser.
I learned about Extra Life through a friend, Dylan Camac, who has participated in the fundraiser on a couple of occasions. In short, Extra Life is a day-long gaming marathon. More than 30,000 players of video, computer, board, card, and whatever other kind of games you can imagine raised nearly $4 million for the Children’s Miracle Network in 2013, and I have decided to join them this fall.
One benefit of the Extra Life fundraiser is that they allow you to choose a CMN hospital for your fundraising, so that you know your efforts will benefit local children, perhaps even someone you know. I have chosen Duke Children’s Hospital as my recipient, and I hope you will join me by sponsoring my efforts..
I have set a personal fundraising goal of $190 for this year. I chose $190 as a goal (well, my first goal) because there are 190 inpatient beds at Duke Children’s Hospital. Think about that for a second. If I reach this goal, it will only provide one dollar for the family occupying each bed at the hospital. It’s such a measly amount considering the challenges they face, and yet I will never be able to even provide that small amount of assistance to these families without a little help from my ACC friends.
Furthermore, I decided that the podcast would also serve as the foundation for my own personal donation to the cause. For every “listen” for my episode of the ACC Weekly podcast, I will donate one cent.
No, it’s not an overwhelming amount. However, it’s a way that some people who might not feel comfortable donating right away to the cause. All you have to do is tune in and listen to Matt, Jeff, and I talk about North Carolina football for a few minutes (or 40), and I throw a penny in the jar. Hopefully, you’ll enjoy the episode so much that you’ll subscribe to their excellent podcast, donate to my cause yourself, or follow me on Twitter if I just completely dazzle you (not holding my breath on that one).
So sit back and enjoy our lively conversation of UNC football, with snippets of Rashad McCants and references to Ric Flair, Barack Obama, the Carolina Panthers, Chapel Hill dining options, and Mike London’s former work as a detective. Share with your friends and family, so they too can contribute to the listen tally and the “penny jar.” Even if you and your friends and family come away thinking I’m a bumbling nincompoop who has no business talking about sports, you’ll have indirectly raised money for children at Duke Children’s Hospital. Nobody loses!
If you would like to make your own personal donation, you can visit my fundraising page at extra-life.org/participant/ztevans. It is tax-deductible, entirely safe through the Extra Life website, and will go directly to Duke Children’s Hospital. I will be excited and thankful, but the children and families there will be even more grateful.
Thank you, and Go Heels.
-Zach Evans
PS: Yes, I know I got the year wrong when recalling which season the freshman class of Harrison Barnes, Kendall Marshall, etc. won the ACC regular season championship. And apologies to Brian Barbour for getting your Twitter name wrong. And if you have any suggestions for games I should play during my marathon, I’m all ears.
Leave a Reply