Five months ago it was just a thought. I asked myself what would it take to create the best unboxing ever? Then it hit me. Do it for Autism and recruit Pokémon Celebrity’s and regular celebrity’s only to buy the packs. So the first ever Celebrity box break was born.
Amazingly things quickly started falling into place. I actually had people contacting me to get in. PokeCelebs like Smpratte, UnlistedLeaf, LeonHart, Pokémon Revolution, and on and on. They all wanted to help me make this dream come true. Then Logic, Logan Paul, Rob Kardashian, Javi Martinez, Ryan Upchurch, James Kennedy, Tyler Breeze, Taylor Fritz, and others wanted in.
I frantically worked to organize both the box break and the signed poster promotion. I hit a few roadblocks regarding Charity legalities and such but then my neighbor (and twin) Steve Aoki came to the rescue. At first he let me in under the Aoki Foundation on Mental Health umbrella. Then later he asked me to hold the umbrella with him. It became a partnership. Soon after a friend donated a sealed base box and another purchased a 1st base pack (heavy) which he donated so we decided to open them up on Steve’s Twitch.
Now the day for the Box Break has come. The day after, the signed Poster (16+ signatures) segment of the charity drive will begin,
This is going to be fun. Please, everyone share the below ad on everything and be sure to watch and donate during the stream. Organize pizza party’s. Call your friends and families.
Because of us, little kids will be able to speak their first words to their parents. Youngsters will be able to raise a spoon to their mouth without help. A little girl, like my daughter Akara, will be able to look her daddy straight in the eye. All because of us. All because of you:)
This is a great idea. Autism in rare cases be a blessing but more often than not it can be incredibly difficult to control. My ex has minor autism but it means she finds it incredibly difficult to hold down a job for long - she treats everyone as if they’re her best friend and this leads to her often being manipulated or forming strong emotional attachments to people who otherwise have nothing to do with her, and in turn this usually leads to her being asked to work ridiculous hours (16+/day, often with unpaid overtime), which she will not refuse or contest, or she’ll get very upset when somebody she works with says something negative about her (even the most meaningless of statements like “your hair looks a bit messy today” can send her into an uncontrollable burst of tears).
Raising awareness is fantastic as I can only hope more people knowing the signs will lead to more people understanding when people are struggling.
One thing I will say though is that I can only hope the names on the list are people who are doing it out of good will rather than a way of advertising themselves or doing it for some form of redemption. I also hope certain people involved in it stop using autism as a derogatory term after this, otherwise it sort of undermines the whole thing.
Wow! Amazing cause. My cousin is autistic and most people still don’t really understand this illness. I think this is an amazing way to raise awareness and have some fun for the community. Will definitely be watching.
Can’t wait to watch. My PhD thesis is determining genetic causes of autism. Both mild and severe forms of autism run in my family. I hope you guys put the money to good use. The Pokemon community can be so great, best of luck with this.
My students are going to love this. A few of them are hyping on the Pokemon train - one especially who has ASD and has been collecting since they were a kid. Great event, Gary, looking forward to it.
Great initiative Gary, absolutely admirable! This only serves to further emphasize the King part of King Pokémon. Taking on a very important issue, autism in this case , by way of a Pokémon Base Box Break, just splendid!
Excited to watch for a good cause. Since it is obviously related, maybe you could talk a bit about Satoshi Tajiri and his experience? I had not known he was on the autism spectrum until recently and many people might be happy to know.
I will be watching, supporting and wishing you all the best of success with this Gary! What an incredible response and team effort you’ve kicked off. It’s a testament to all you’ve done and the character you’ve shown to this hobby & world.
I’ve been involved with an autism nonprofit for 12yrs now, so I know how tricky the legalities and setup with all of that is. In our launch year, we also partnered with an outside, established nonprofit, which gave us time to set everything up right and that worked wonderfully.
Thank you to you and all involved for using your platform, resources and network for the great benefit of others!
