Seventy-eight hours. $13,659.85 in donations for Free the Children. Nearly 100 pieces of Groose fanart (count 'em!).

A few weeks have passed since our second Legend of Zelda Marathon ended. While I still can't seem to get this dirty feeling of playing the CD-i Zelda games off myself, I'm constantly amazed at how well this event went. It was nearly a year since the last fundraiser ended in August (cut short by a run in with Hurricane Irene) so we were worried that nobody really would watch.

Well… you guys blew apart EVERY expectation we had. Your amazing generosity shattered our previous record donation total by over a thousand dollars and brought in more viewers than we've had in recent memory (even to the degree that the site crashed-- three times).

Not to mention, there's now a gigantic gallery of fanart you guys submitted, a brand new theme song made by up-and-coming musician Rory Powers and a bunch of other things to check out, including our… "dub" of the first Pokemon Episode recorded during 2011's Mop Up Marathon (made by EasterFerret), and Game Gent, our latest Marathon creation.

I really can't thank you guys enough for what was nothing short of an amazing weekend. It's difficult to put into words just how much it means to see so many people supporting our events year after year. What was once an idea that almost didn't quite happen (and was almost named "Charigamers" shudder) has become a great little internet community, responsible for raising nearly $92,000 for charity so far. Thanks for being awesome. (No, seriously-- you're the best.)

Of course, the fundraisers aren't just about a warm fuzzy feeling-- they're about making a difference somewhere. In this case, the second Legend of Zelda Marathon raised enough for Free the Children to fund the construction of 273 goats a schoolhouse, in addition to a school lunch program, school furnishings and supplies and teacher training programs, in a developing nation. ExtraLives.org is nothing without everybody's generosity so we're letting you guys decide where you'd like to see the school built.

Click read more for a rundown of the countries in which Free the Children operates, reasons why they need a schoolhouse, and a poll to cast your vote.

The countries where Free the Children currently is able to construct a schoolhouse are…

Kenya: (Note: We've already funded a schoolhouse here)

• The average literacy rate in Kenya is 85.1%.
• 26% of children ages 5 to 14 are involved in child labor.
• 50% of the population lives below the poverty line with an average annual income of $1,700.

India:

• 34% of India’s population lives on less than $1 a day.
• Only 50% of secondary school-aged girls and 63% of boys in India are enrolled in secondary school.
• Children under 14 constitute around 3.6% of the total labor force in India.

Sierra Leone: (Note: We've already funded a schoolhouse here)

• 70% of Sierra Leone’s population lives below the poverty line.
• Less than half of Sierra Leonean women aged 15 to 24 can read and write.
• 48% of Sierra Leone’s children aged 5 to 14 are involved in child labor.

Haiti: (Note: We've already funded a schoolhouse here)

• Half of Haiti’s residents live on less than $1 US a day.
• Following the 2010 earthquake, 3 million people were affected as buildings, homes and hospitals collapsed.
• The average literacy rate among the population is 52.9%.

Ecuador: (Note: We've already funded a schoolhouse here)

• Almost 40% of Ecuadorians live below the poverty line.
• There are approximately 400,000 child laborers in Ecuador.
• 67% of Ecuadorian children finish elementary school.

China:

• About 150 million people in China live on less than $1 a day.
• China is home to 18% of the world’s poor.
• 17.7% of students schooled in rural China are able to attend a university.

Nicaragua:

• 50,000 children of primary school level do not attend school.
• The average number of years Nicaraguan children spend in school is just 4.6.
• Three-quarters of the Nicaraguan population live on less than $2 a day.

...and with all that being said, vote on which country you'd like to see the schoolhouse constructed in. The country with the most amount of votes by 11:59PM on July 31st will receive the school. There are no bad choices here and feel free to discuss your decision in the comments section.

Thanks again for all of your support-- you guys are nothing short of amazing!