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The manager of the Kelowna SPCA has learned a few new things lately.
- You can make big money playing video games.
- Sometimes that money goes to charity.
Local gamer KittyPlays, also known as Kristen Valnicek is a Fortnite pro.
When she entered a Pro Am charity tournament in Los Angeles with Walking Dead actor Chandler Riggs, she made the Kelowna SPCA the beneficiary.
Third place paid $125,000 USD to Valnicek, which translates into $164,000 CAD for the shelter.
After meeting the Kittens that have been named in her honor at the Kelowna SPCA, KittyPlays/Valnicek spent a few minutes with KelownaNow.
In his nine years at the Kelowna SPCA, manager Sean Hogan says he's never seen a single donation as large as the $164,000 from KittyPlays.
He says it's enough to handle the shelter's veterinary bills for the whole year.
"It's incredible," said Hogan. "Just like over the top. We were not expecting this coming to the shelter."
"I just think it's good to give back to the community that I grew up in," said Valnicek. "Especially a charity like this that just does so much good."
Today I got to meet the two kittens named after me for my $125k donation to the @BC_SPCA . Thank you @Fortnite for supporting the impact I get to have in this life. I am beyond grateful for all the opportunities I’ve had these past 5 years of streaming. This is a highlight 💖 pic.twitter.com/suSxhIi65q
— KittyPlays (@KittyPlays) December 4, 2018
Valnicek is originally from Kelowna, but currently lives in Vancouver. She's made a career out of live game streaming and is the top female streamer on Twitch, which is a live stream platform with 15 million visitors a day.
If the Fortnite pro doesn't take them home herself, the kittens named after her in honour of the donation, Fortnite and KittyPlays, will be available for adoption after the holidays.
For more on the story, check our our earlier post on Valnicek and her gift to the SPCA.
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