CEDAR CITY, Utah — Talk show host Stephen Colbert and the cast of voice actors who brought Dungeons and Dragons into the popular spotlight, Critical Role, teamed up to fight poverty globally with the fundraising campaign of Red Nose Day.
Foundations: Critical Role and Red Nose Day
Critical Role started in 2015, with the intention of sharing the story of voice actors’ adventures. As its popularity grew, much to the surprise of the voice actors, the cast decided to team up with several foundations and organizations to raise money for charitable causes. As of September 2020, Critical Role raised more than $600,000 for charity.
Notably, Critical Role started its own foundation in 2020 to further its efforts, most recently partnering with Red Nose Day which is a campaign to end child poverty. The foundation uses red noses in social media images because of their distinctive and amusing appearance. It “provides an easy way for everyone to get involved, and show their support while capturing the essence of what Red Nose Day is all about: coming together to make a difference for children in need.” Over the last eight years, the organization has raised $275 million which has helped to impact the lives of 30 million children all over the world.
Fundraiser Fun
This marks the second time that Colbert and Critical Role have helped to end poverty together with Red Nose Day. The talk show host agreed to play in a live stream of Dungeons and Dragons that raised $115,000 before the live stream event occurred on April 29, according to Polygon.
Votes as a result of donations determined Colbert’s character’s accessories and backstory. Donor polls dictated Colbert’s character would have a bee companion named Eric the 2nd, a living weapon that hates fights and violence, a spell that will give him the ability to change his appearance, and the need to regain dignity is driving it, Polygon reported. While the live stream event is over, the Critical Role Foundation and Red Nose Day are still taking donations to aid those in poverty, as well as other worthy causes.
This is not the first time that Colbert has lent his fame to raise awareness for important causes. For example, he has hosted charity events for Amnesty International, an organization that tackles human rights abuses across the globe. Additionally, he has supported other global charities including the Global Fund for Women and Save the Children.
– Kelsey Jensen
Photo: Flickr