The Quest for a Cause: Magic Players Answer the Call
Tap for Hope's Inaugural Charity Event Raises $24,442 for JoyRx Mentorship
Over three days in May, the competitive Magic: The Gathering community gathered in Portland for The Quest for a Cause, the first charity event hosted by Tap for Hope. Held May 15 through 17, 2026,the event brought together 322 registered players and more than a total of 400+ convention attendees.
By the time the final game ended, this community had raised $24,442 in support of JoyRx Mentorship.
We are humbled and grateful that Tap for Hope chose Children's Cancer Association as the beneficiary of their very first event.
Charity Auction Winner, Shane, and Tap for Hope's Founder, Eric Vogt, at The Quest, May 2026.
A New Kind of Fundraiser
Tap for Hope is a volunteer-run 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in Portland, built around competitive Commander, a format of Magic: The Gathering known as cEDH. Their mission is to empower Magic players to create lasting contributions through charitable events and a shared passion for community.
The Quest brought that mission to life across three days of play, with vendors, artists, content creators, and Discord communities from across the Pacific Northwest and beyond rallying around a single purpose.
“My Team and I were blown away by the support we received as we prepared for our first event," Eric, Tap for Hope's Founder, mentions. "The positive impact the Magic community can deliver is boundless. We’re extremely appreciative of our supporters, and, with everyone’s help, we hope to continue making a bigger difference in the future!"
Why Mentorship
JoyRx Mentorship fosters trusted companionship to inspire friendship and belonging during an isolating time, providing emotional support to children in treatment for cancer and other serious illnesses, as well as critical support to parents and caregivers who endure the hardships of hospital stays with their child. We consistently hear from families and hospital staff how isolating, lonely, and scary the hospital environment can be for kids and families. Our program addresses these issues directly through intentional mentorship matches made in collaboration with our hospital partners. We work together to identify and enroll families who may benefit from this free-of-charge emotional support programming to bolster their current medical care.
JoyRx Mentors arrive for hospital visits with specially selected toys, games, and activities to help their young friends find joy, dispel stress and anxiety, and feel connection instead of loneliness and isolation. For parents and caregivers, these visits offer a moment of respite, allowing them to take a walk, grab some coffee, speak privately with physicians, spend time with their other children, or simply take an opportunity to step away and breathe.
“JoyRx Mentorship is truly powered by community,” says Jack Pipkin, CEO of Children’s Cancer Association. “Our extraordinary volunteer mentors show up for children and families when they need them most, and this work is only possible because of community support. The Tap for Hope community is an important part of that equation, and we are so grateful for everyone coming together to help create more moments of connection and joy for hospitalized kids.”
A Community United for Kids
The connection, creativity, and sense of play that grounds the success of JoyRx Mentorship are qualities that certainly resonate with the gaming community. An event like The Quest for a Cause does not happen without a great many people saying yes. Tap for Hope is grateful to the vendors and artists who brought their work:
Goldsabertooth
Laughing Dragon MTG
F6 Supply
BONEYARD
Kilydwn
Sauce Goblin
Grambulon
Legendary Artifacts
Evan Pierce Photography
Dungeon Ruins
Hyatt Regency Portland
To the content creators who brought their audiences: DootLoot, MentalMisplay, CriticalEDH, BiteSized MTG, MTG Basics, ComedIan MTG, Lua Stardust, Higher, CEDH NW, TAGC Podcast, Sam's Table Podcast, Wizards & Warlocks MTG, Zabracus, and Playing with Power.
To the communities who brought their players: Dragon Parlor Games, EDH Top 16, Eldrazi.dev, SeaEDH, PDX cEDH, Bay Area cEDH, Spokane cEDH, and the Etali, RogThras, BlueFarm, r/cEDH, and MTG Marketplace Discord communities.
And to our additional supporters: Daybreak Magic Online, Sapporo Breweries, Team Monolith, KessCo, Fox Trash Alters, Matt Stikker, and many others.
What Comes Next
Tap for Hope is already planning The Quest II for April 2027. You can learn more about their work at ccedh.org.
To every player who registered, every creator who streamed, and every person who showed up over those three days: thank you. You turned something you love into something a child will remember. That is what becomes possible when a community decides to share its support with something bigger than itself.