Extra Life Team Gainesville, an organization for gamers dedicated to raising money for the Children’s Miracle Network and UF Health Shands Hospital, is hosting a “Pokemon Go”-themed event for children this weekend.
Pokewalk for the Kids will take place this Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m outside the North Tower atrium at UF Health Shands Hospital.
The main goal is to get locals involved with the organization to put on more events and recruit more people, said Scott Harris, the vice president of Extra Life Team Gainesville.
Anyone can attend, and organizers will be dropping “lures” to give the kids staying in the hospital a chance to catch Pokemon, he said.
Shannon Sproston, a level-10 Team Mystic player, said giving the kids a chance to play has encouraged her to attend the event with her 2-year-old son.
Sproston said she was not planning on going until she saw organizers would be dropping lures at the hospital.
“It makes the hospital a not-so-scary place,” she said. “Just to me, as somebody who childhood cancer has affected the family, I think it’s important.”
Joe Morales, a level-24 Team Valor player, said he hopes the event will bring together people who care about Extra Life and lift the spirits of kids in the hospital.
“It’s a great game to bring people out, such as myself, and especially for kids that are stuck in the hospital to get their mind off what they are going through,” he said.
