CHICAGO, IL--(Marketwired - Sep 9, 2014) - The Adventures of Ai's World Charity Cup competition (www.adventuresofai.com) launches today at a star-studded event held at the world's largest Ronald McDonald House. The global video game competition encourages children to play the Adventures of Ai video game to benefit charities in their country; a total of 20 percent of the project's global net revenue is being donated to charity, with 10 percent going to charities in the winning country.
The event will be attended by Chicago VIPs, including Chicago Blackhawks player Duncan Keith (subject to change), Blackhawks mascot Tommy Hawk, Cubs mascot Clark and Ronald McDonald, who will come to support the project and play the Adventures of Ai game with children from the Ronald McDonald House and other charities. The project benefits 20 charities from around the world, including Ronald McDonald House Charities of Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Misericordia Heart of Mercy, Dempster Family Foundation and James R. Jordan Foundation International.
The World Charity Cup is part of the larger Adventures of Ai global project, which includes an ebook, video game and soundtrack, created by New York Times Bestselling Author Craig Bouchard. The story follows Ai, a young girl in pre-Renaissance Japan who embarks on an exciting and dangerous adventure to find her father. Bouchard designed the project to teach children, particularly preteen girls, the value of strength, independence and compassion, and to subtly prepare them to face the pressures they will face growing up.
To participate in the World Charity Cup, children play the Adventures of Ai game, available on iOS, Android, Samsung and Amazon devices, on behalf of their country. At the end of the competition on December 31, 2014, participating charities in the country with the highest average points per player will receive an additional 10 percent of the project's global net revenue. All charities participating in the competition will receive 10 percent of the global net revenue.
"The World Charity Cup is a way for kids to act upon the values and lessons they learned from reading the Adventures of Ai book and playing the video game," Bouchard said. "Kids are going to play video games anyway, so I wanted to give them the opportunity to give back, make a difference and help children around the world while playing those games. It's incredible to see children from all corners of the world -- from Australia to China to the United States -- play video games to help others while also learning valuable lessons about themselves."
"We feel so fortunate to be part of The Adventures of Ai's video game launch here in Chicago," said Doug Porter, CEO of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana. "With Craig's innovative thinking and leadership to support deserving charities around the globe, we truly look forward to seeing how the gaming world is revolutionized by his great efforts."
To learn more about the Adventures of Ai project and the World Charity Cup, please visit www.adventuresofai.com
About Ronald McDonald House Charities® of Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana (RMHC®-CNI)
RMHC-CNI is an independent not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to care for families of children with complex medical needs by providing a 'home away from home' while their child is being treated in the hospital. Every night, 140 families heal together because of the comfort, compassion and community at five area Ronald McDonald Houses® and three Ronald McDonald Family Rooms®. That's 40,000 nights each year where RMHC-CNI families are able to stay close to their child, helping them to heal faster and saving them over $7 million in hotel costs. We are located near Advocate Children's Hospital, Loyola University Medical Center, University of Chicago Comer Children's Hospital, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago,Edward Hospital in Naperville and Central DuPage Hospital which will open in 2015. For more information visit www.RonaldHouseChicago.org. RMHC-CNI is rated as BBB Accredited Business & Four Star Charity Navigator.
About the Adventures of Ai
The Adventures of Ai is an ebook written by international entrepreneur and New York Times best-selling author Craig Bouchard. The story is a part non-fiction and part fiction fantasy subtly designed to prepare pre-teen girls and boys for the pressures they will encounter as they grow up. Incorporating art, history, poetry, music and mathematics, the unique novel encourages children to unlock their potential. Released in six languages, The Adventures of Ai is a story of empowerment that transcends boundaries.
The book's corresponding video game is based on the novel and created by Kalani Streicher, producer of the ground-breaking games Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back and the Indiana Jones games for Lucas Films. The Adventures of Ai video game is an engaging experience featuring a soundtrack produced by 15-time Grammy Award winner Humberto Gatica, the game is available for iOS, Android and Kindle. For more information, visit www.adventuresofai.com.
About the World Charity Cup
When children play the Adventures of Ai, their scores are recorded for the benefit of their country total. Ten percent of net revenues earned in each country during the competition will be donated to the participating charities within that country. In addition, ten percent of the global revenue from the book, game and music earned during the competition will be donated to the charities in the country that records the highest average player scores. Thus, any country can win the "World Charity Cup," and every child playing the game matters.
Charities Participating in the World Charity Cup:
• Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago (USA)
• Child Cancer Foundation (New Zealand)
• Child Rights and You (CRY) (India)
• Children's Leukaemia & Cancer Research Foundation (Australia)
• College Women's Association of Japan (Japan)
• Foundation To Be Named Later (Global)
• James R. Jordan Foundation International (Africa)
• K is for Kids (Global)
• Magic Bus (India)
• Maria Social Welfare Foundation (Taiwan)
• Misericordia Hearts of Mercy (USA)
• Naples Equestrian Challenge (Global)
• Operation Smile China Medical Mission (China)
• Our Lady of the Lake Children's Hospital (Global)
• Ronald McDonald House Charities® of Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana (USA)
• Taipei Orphan Welfare Foundation (Taiwan)
• The Dempster Family Foundation (Global)
• The Sony Foundation (Australia)
• The Working Youth Society (Japan)
Contact Information:
Jessica Hasson
jessica@pulppr.com