February 28th, 2024, Tokyo, Japan – COVER Corporation (Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan, CEO: Motoaki Tanigo) announced that Mori Calliope of hololive English -Myth- raised over £70,000 (appx. USD 88,200) during her charity Valentine’s Day stream “Paws for a Cause 2024” on February 14th JST. All proceeds of Mori Calliope’s “Paws for a Cause 2024” stream has been donated to Cats Protection, the UK’s leading cat welfare charity, rehoming unwanted and abandoned cats through its network of branches and centres, supporting the neutering of cats to prevent unwanted kittens and campaigning for change across the UK to improve life for owned, stray and feral cats since 1927.
Mori Calliope challenged herself to a 12-hour stream, full of guest appearances, karaoke, and game streams, and was able to achieve her goal of £70,000 after streaming for 7 hours, and raised to £80,673 (appx. USD 100,812) by the end of the 12-hour stream.
Mori Calliope on her Charity Stream: On motivation to do a charity stream on Valentine’s Day
“I think there are a lot of people who feel like “love” on Valentine’s has to be romantically motivated. I wanted to turn that perspective around and show that Valentine’s Day can be a day of love for animals, community, and friends by doing a stream that focused on spreading the love to cats in need through the power of both community, and friendship. Additionally, no one has to feel alone on Valentine’s Day because we’re hanging out on stream the whole time!”
On choosing Cats Protection
“There are many reputable charities worldwide, and especially in the United States, that are well known and regarded. I wanted to choose a charity that I had never heard of before so I could research and learn more about them myself, as well as shining a light on a charity that might not be as well-known of a name to my audience. However, it turned out quite a few of my fans were familiar with Cats Protection. Also, I love cats very, very, VERY much. They’ve saved me in more ways than I can count.”
On reaching the £70,000 goal
“I couldn’t believe it happened so fast, but I also know not to underestimate the strength of my community. I didn’t just have my own fans watching and donating. People spread the word so well, and hololive production as well as VTuber fans in general came to support an amazing cause, and it really restored my faith in humanity. I got emotional towards the end of the stream while looking back on the journey and this immense feeling of gratefulness was all I could feel for the rest of the night.”
Message to fans
“Words cannot express my gratitude. As an idol, I have a lot of goals I want to pursue, and almost everything I do is for the purpose of benefiting my career, my fans, and my friends. But it’s easy to get tunnel-visioned in this industry, and I don’t want to lose sight of what is important.
This time, I got the chance to spend an entire day doing something selfless, helping sweet and innocent animals I’ll never meet but love anyway, and all of you joined me on that journey. For a day, this community wasn’t just about me and my never-ending journey of trials, it was about true love for those who can do nothing to directly benefit you, and that is more than I could ever have asked for. Thank you for being a part of this momentary yet unforgettable piece of hololive English history and may there be more opportunities to show love selflessly in the future! Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Additionally, a huge thank you to my incredible guests that showed up during the stream. They brought their own wonderful communities into the mix and helped me keep a happy and light mood with super fun energy, making everyone want to get involved and help! I love them all very much.”
To learn more about Cats Protection, visit https://www.cats.org.uk/