The content creator behind the popular Magic: The Gathering YouTube Channel Tolarian Community College has raised over $220,000 for Trans Lifeline in the span of a week.
Brian Lewis, the creator behind the quirky Professor persona on the TCC YouTube Channel partnered with Amanda Stevens, a Diversity and Inclusion Consultant, and Olivia Gobert Hicks to begin the auction on February 25 with a prize pool of two Double Masters boxes going to one lucky donor.
The MTG community quickly rallied around the fundraiser auction, with players and creators donating more prizes to the pool. Some of the prizes added to the pool within hours of TCC putting up the fundraiser were a Library of Alexandria from Arabian Nights, a signed playset of Blood Moons from SaffronOlive, and a limited edition GenCon Playmat with Ugin art from Jim Davis.
The fundraiser reached the $100,000 mark within two days. The Professor posted a heartfelt video thanking all the donors and contributors to the prize pool.
The fundraiser hit $200,000 on February 27. Here Amanda Stevens thanks the community for their part it supporting Trans Lifeline.
On February 28, Trans Lifeline thanked the organizers and the MTG community for the donations. According to the organization, the over $220,000 donated would power the Spanish language extension of their hotline for a whole year.
Trans Lifeline is “a grassroots and microgrants…non-profit organization offering direct emotional and financial support to trans people in crisis.” The donations will go to funding the only peer-support hotline in North America operated exclusively by trans people. The organization also helps fund name changes and HRT for trans people, among other support services.
Tolarian Community College also held a fundraiser event last year. That event raised $120,000, so the Professor, his partners, and the MTG community should be proud that they doubled that donation in 2021.
