OMAHA — Omaha’s famous “Fortnite” gamer used his platform to do something spectacular during the holidays.
Benjamin Lupo, known by his online moniker DrLupo, raised more than $600,000 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital during a 24-hour livestream on Dec. 22 and 23. Donations came in from 85 countries around the world, helping Lupo bring his 2018 total to $1.3 million raised for the research hospital.
Lupo broadcasts himself playing the popular battle royale video game on the streaming service Twitch, where he has 2.8 million followers.
“One of the best parts of being a streamer is seeing communities of people form, and working with those communities to help benefit others and leave a legacy of positivity,” Lupo said in a statement. “Having the opportunity to engage the gaming community in the mission of St. Jude has been life changing, and I’m so grateful to continue to be a part of this legacy to show the good that gaming will do to change people’s lives.”
Lupo encouraged people to donate to St. Jude during a 24-hour livestream from noon on Dec. 22 to noon on Dec. 23 by offering a package of incentives for various donation levels.
By donating $100, followers could force him to drop any weapon or item immediately while he played the last-man-standing battle game. Followers donating $1,000 had their names permanently added to the “intro” and “outro” for his videos. And for $10, followers were entered into a raffle for gaming packages or other items, like custom paintings by his wife.
Lupo lives in Omaha with his wife and young son, Charlie. Once Lupo raised $200,000, his son and wife jumped on the controls for a while.
Lupo pledged $10,000 of his own money once followers raised $50,000.
“To raise $1 million for the kids of St. Jude in just one year is an incredible milestone and makes him a leader among his gaming peers,” Richard Shadyac Jr., president and CEO of ALSAC, the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude, said in a statement. “By helping pioneer this innovative way of fundraising, he and his community are leading the charge for the future of fundraising by helping St. Jude continue to fight childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases.”