LURES FOR CURES RAISES MONEY FOR KIDS AT AI DUPONT HOSPITAL TO LURE MORE POKEMON TO AI DUPONT TO ALLOW KIDS WHO CANNOT LEAVE THE HOSPITAL OR THEIR BEDS TO CATCH MORE POKEMON AND ENGAGED AT THE HOSPITAL.
New Castle: Pokemon Go is a free to play location based augmented reality game developed and published by Niantic for IOS and Android devices. It was initially released in select countries in the break of July.
As it made its appearance in Delaware, more and more people began playing this new game. “Get up, get out, and explore” is the games message. Its purpose is to get people of all ages to get outdoors and explore local areas.
All you have to do is download the game from the app store of your
Android or Apple device. Make sure you’re standing on your feet when you’re done installing the app, because you’ll want to step outside to find and catch Wild Pokémon that appears on your phone’s screen.
Since the game is GPS based, it encourages you to explore areas all around town, including other cities, because as you move around, a map displays on your phone’s screen and when a Pokémon is nearby, your phone will vibrate to let you know. That’s not all Pokémon Go does. You can explore habitats and Pokéstops, among many other things.
One of the things businesses are doing is activating Lure Modules on their closest Pokéstop. Lure Modules, available in Pokémon Go as an In App Purchase for $1.00 a piece or 8 for $6.80, are placed on existing Pokéstops and are described as “Modules that attracts Pokémon to a Pokéstop for 30 min. The effect benefits other people nearby.” During this 30 minute period, If you are within a close enough range to the Pokéstop with an active Lure Module, more Pokémon which may not normally be available in your area will appear and at a higher rate. This is a smart marketing move for a business, as it has the potential to get people in or around the business and has the potential to boost revenue.
According to 10 NBC, Philadelphia Museum of Art hosts regular Pokémon meets on Wednesday nights. They allow guests to pay what they wish to enter and hunt Pokémon.
UWISHUNU is an event and out and about website for the city of Philadelphia. It has its own page for Pokémon hunts. It shows you where to find Pokémon in and around Philadelphia. You can check them out here at UWISHU
Businesses are not the only ones to benefit from this new exciting app. charitable organizations are taking advantage of the benefits of Pokémon Go as well. I was recently at Battery Park, in New Castle, to cover a charitable event where the event organizers were using Pokémon Go to get donations to benefit children at Nemours Hospital for Children.
Lures for Cures is a local non-profit charitable organization raising money to be able to purchase Pokémon Go Lure Modules to activate them at Pokéstops in and around Nemours Hospital for Children. Its purpose is to allow kids who cannot leave the hospital, or even their beds to be able to catch Pokémon.
While such an event has never been done at Nemours, other hospitals use Pokémon Go as therapy treatment for kids, like the University of Michigan. Check out this video to see how they are utilizing Pokémon Go to help kids:
For one day, Jessa Drevas and two other Lures for Cures For Cure organizers, Jesten Peebles, and Samantha Nash, set up at the Wharf at Battery Park in New Castle. In exchange for every dollar donated, donators were given a paper Pokéball to write well wishes and words of encouragement for the children at Nemours hospital.
Jessa Drevas says, “…tons of children are playing Pokémon Go from their hospital beds, unable to go out and catch Pokémon like we can.”
Jesten Peebles said, “Pokémon Go is a phenomenon and has been bringing people together from all walks of life. Our beliefs, lifestyles and our cultural differences ignored in favor of catching invisible monsters. The game has potential to be a platform for good causes. Good causes that I can stand behind.”
While there are no exact schedule of events lined up for Lures for Cures, Samantha says, they plan to go to CHOP in Philadelphia. CHOP is, the children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. They also plan but have not set a date for an event on the Green in Dover to benefit Delaware Autism, and in October they are hoping to host yet another event in Battery Park to benefit adoptable dogs by walking them in the park.
Saturday’s event brought people from all over including from Sussex County. Donators and volunteers were seen talking about a cause with a meaning. It also brought strangers together to meet new people and to have a good time. Just ask Topher Lawrence, from his Facebook page, he said of the group, “you guys are awesome for putting this together. Thank you to everyone that stopped by, donated, or took a picture. I can’t wait to do this again.”
Some people even went a step further, like Terace Mignogna from New Castle who brought 6 cases of water for the group of volunteers. In addition to donating money, some people even dropped off toys for the kids.
Jacqueline Courtney of Wilmington said, “So, my brother and I came down and stayed for about 4 hours or so, despite the rain, and we had a BLAST! We caught so much! I’ve never seen so many Pokémon in one area before!! And we both made donations for our respective teams. Thank you so much for hosting such an awesome event for an even more AWESOME CAUSE!!”
The event, even though it rained in the late afternoon, pushed on and stayed. According to Jessa, they had over 600 people that showed up throughout the day and raised $1,500.00 in just twelve hours. The organizers are blown away by how the community came together.
With just twelve days of planning, seven of which, Jessa spent in the hospital herself, she said “when you’re in the same situation as people you’re planning a charity for, it puts things in perspective. I was literally in their shoes (in this case grippy socks) walking the halls with my nurse after we bonded for twenty minutes over Pokémon. I’ve spoken to people I never would have approached before not only because they’re strangers but also because I suffer from severe anxiety. I can personally attest to the power of this game not only helping people socialize, but helping people overcome the most prevalent issues in their lives that once felt hopeless.
Jessa also said, “I want to make a statement. I want to show the world and all the little girls in the world who may be watching that anyone has the power to make a difference and start a movement. Showing people anyone can be smart or creative or make an actual difference in the process. Being the difference is simply a step that most people don’t know how to take, though all it consists of is finding what you believe in and devoting all your energy to it.”
We had the opportunity to meet one donator, Laura Malmstrom and her son, Zachery, 15. Zachery lost his leg back in November of 2014 to cancer. She said, his surgery was at A.I. Dupont Hospital for Children and they were both honored to be able to give back to the hospital.
Laura says Zachery is not a quitter, so he adjusted well to the change in his lifestyle. He wears a prosthetic but is more comfortable without it at times. While Zachery may appear different, it doesn’t stop him from doing the things he enjoys the most, like catching Pokémon. After talking to the two, they both ran off in separate directions to catch Pokémon.
So what are you waiting for? Get involved; put your heart behind a cause that brings special meaning to your heart.
For more information about Lures for Cures For Cures, contact them through their Facebook Group page
