As the holiday season rolls around, charities start to kick into high gear, asking for donations to all sorts of causes you might like to support.  You see Salvation Army Santas on practically every street corner jingling their bells, your office might even do something like a United Way collection this time of year.  For me, one of the problems with most charities is you never know where your donation actually goes, you're not sure who you're helping or how, it's just a black box of money that you hope does some good.

Since we're a pretty technical crew, I wanted to share my personal favorite charity, Child's Play, organized by the author and artist of popular webcomic, Penny Arcade.  For three years now, gamers and geeks from all over the globe have helped to raise nearly a million dollars in toys, games and cash for sick kids in children's hospitals all over the world.  The charity is 100% volunteer run with no administrative fees to cover.  This year 37 children's hospitals are participating in the event, so chances are you will be able to find a nearby location to donate to.

Donations can either be cash sent to the hospital in question via PayPal or by sending to the charity offices in Seattle Washington for processing, but cash is only a piece of what this charity is about.  The biggest focus of Child's Play is to get toys and games into the hands of sick children who have to spend their long days confined to cold and impersonal hospitals (even children's hospitals, despite all the fluffy cloud painted walls and playrooms, are no substitute for home).  Child's Play and participating hospitals have worked with Amazon.com to post "Wishlists" of toys, video games and other fun gadgets they think their kids would enjoy.  They indicate the number of desired copies of a toy or game, as well as how many have been purchased already so you know if they're still needed.

Many of us here are gamers, have friends who are gamers or maybe even have kids who are into gaming.  If you do, you know how much fun can be had, and how you can be whisked away into an imaginary world full of fun and excitement, forgetting the world around you for at least a little while.  Imagine how important that escape would be to a small child in a hospital?  Or for a brother or sister who has to spend time in the waiting room while their sick sibling is taken care of.  A toy, a game, anything fun can brighten a child's day and take their minds off of the harsh reality that may surround them.

Of the 37 participating hospitals, one is the Children's Hospital of Michigan located in Detroit, a short drive from the Stardock Offices.  If you're interested in seeing their wish list and donating, please see go here.

For more information about the charity, locations of hospitals and relevant news and press coverage, go to www.ChildsPlayCharity.org

As of this morning, they have already raised nearly half a million dollars in donations!  Help push them even higher and make a sick child's Christmas special.