This holiday season, Southland Credit Union (SCU) has once again partnered with the nonprofit Gamers Outreach Foundation (GO) to launch a special holiday fundraising campaign: the Holiday GO Kart Drive.
The mission is simple — to bring the transformative power of play directly to pediatric patients at local hospitals. By funding custom-built, portable gaming stations, called GO Karts, the initiative provides moments of joy, distraction, and normalcy for children enduring long hospital stays during the holidays.
Every GO Kart is a mobile escape for a child, offering a much-needed break from the stress and isolation of treatment. Each unit costs $4,500, and the collective goal this year is to raise $12,000 to fund three new GO Karts.
With member and community support, SCU can ensure these vital gaming units are delivered to MemorialCare Miller Children’s and Women’s Hospital in Long Beach, Harbor Hospital in Carson, and Saint John’s Hospital in Santa Monica.
A GO Kart — short for Gamers Outreach Kart — is not just a standard video game console. It is a portable, medical-grade kiosk built specifically for hospital environments. These durable units are designed with patient safety and mobility in mind. They feature a 24-inch gaming monitor, hospital-grade power strips, security locks, and 360-degree swivel casters, allowing health care staff to easily wheel the entire gaming system into a child’s room, regardless of their mobility or isolation status.
These karts are important tools for the hospital’s Child Life Programs, providing therapeutic impact. They work by reducing anxiety, offering familiar and engaging distractions during difficult procedures.
They also promote connection, allowing children to socialize with staff and other patients through play, and ultimately restoring normalcy by giving kids a chance to simply be kids, even while receiving care.
Southland Credit Union believes these initiatives can make a significant difference in the lives of children, which is why the credit union is making it easy for members and the community to contribute. The two primary ways to help are by opening a new Southland Jr. Savers Account for a child, which prompts a donation of $5 directly to Project GO Kart, or by making an online monetary donation.
For every monetary donation made through the Gamers Outreach campaign page, Southland Credit Union is making matching contributions.
“This holiday season, we’re proud to partner with Gamers Outreach to bring the power of play to kids in local hospitals,” states SCU’s announcement online. “Your gift will make this goal a reality and bring joy to children when they need it most.”
