As a lifelong Boy Scout, helping others has been a core part of my life. After earning my Eagle Scout rank in 2012, I looked for new ways to serve my community. With my experience as a cross country runner, it was only a matter of time before I incorporated distance runs into my service; by combining these passions with my love for video games. Since 2015, I've completed multiple 10Ks and half marathons to raise money for charity dressed as my personal favorite video game character, Sonic the Hedgehog. So far I have raised $600 for various charities, including Child's Play, the Sacramento Food Bank, and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. I've gradually increased the distance and frequency of my races, and have received help from the voice actors of the Sonic franchise. This year I make my debut on the international stage. It is my hope that through these races I am able to help others in the same way that gaming has helped me survive depression while also ending the stigma around mental illness so that others can get the help they need.

The Giveaway!

I make it no secret that video games have helped my personal fight against mental illness, but they also do great work on a larger scale. Youtubers and Streamers use marathon gaming sessions to raise money, companies provide donations and volunteer hours, and millions of people use video games as momentary respite just like I do. Today, I'm adding hardware to my list with a NES/SNES Classic Edition giveaway! 

If the $1000 goal of this event is reached, I will be giving away an NES Classic Edition and an SNES Classic Edition, both unopened. Two people will win one of the consoles each.

Rules:

1. No purchase is necessary, you can freely enter by following my social media pages, one entry per:
   Facebook: facebook.com/SonicTheRunner                                        Twitter: @Run_C_Alvarado
2. Additional entries are given for each $10 donated to the IASP through this page. For your donations to be accepted as giveaway entries, you must check the box that shared your email with me so I can contact the winners.
   
3. All are free to participate, though UPS, FedEx, or USPS must ship to your location to be eligible for prizes.
4. All entries up to September 23rd, 2018 at midnight PST are eligible for the giveaway, including those who have followed the social media pages prior to the giveaway's commencement, July 20th, 2018.
5. I will be selecting the winners at random on September 27th, 2018 and will contact them by email or direct message on social media. The winners will also be posted on this page in an update, replacing the last name with their initial to protect their privacy.
6. Each winner will receive one of the consoles, the first winner will get to choose and the second will receive the remaining console.
7. Winners will have 2 weeks to respond to messages to claim their prize. Otherwise their win will be nullified and a new winner will be selected.

Good luck everyone and thank you for supporting the International Association for Suicide Prevention!