Les's
Fund
Initiative
has
raised
OVER
$38,000
since
January
2004 !!!
We are proud to join Les's Fund Initiative and Lisa's Beads in the fight against cancer. Money raised during the 2005 FANN Cup will be donated to the Heroes of Hope Campaign, which is raising funds to build the new Durham Regional Cancer Centre (DRCC) in Oshawa.
The DRCC will fill the void in radiation therapy that exists between Toronto, Kingston and Sudbury. For more information, click on the Heroes of Hope link to the right.
The following is a great article that was printed in the Lacrosse Journal magazine last winter.
Article
from
The
Les'
Fund
Initiative
started
after I
saw Jim
Veltman's
speech
to Les
Bartley
at the
Rock
home
opener.
This
essentially
was the
straw
that
broke
the
camel's
back.
To be frank, cancer sucks;
I've lost my dad, my aunt, and a good friend to cancer, so I decided if I can I want to rally the fans of the National Lacrosse League to raise some money to fight cancer. Shortly after I posted my idea on the Wingszone NLL message board, I had NLL fans not only from Toronto, but also from Rochester, Buffalo, Philadelphia, and Phoenix ready to join the fight.
In just a couple of weeks, Philly fans have raised over $480 from auctioning equipment donated by Wings players and have 150 of Lisa's Beads on order. Buffalo also has auctions on tap as well as selling Lisa's Beads.
Toronto is selling Lisa's Beads at two Rock games and at the post game parties at Joe Badali's, a lacrosse tourney is in the works, and an invitation-only pre game party will be held before the last game of the season. All to raise money in honour of Les and everyone who has endured the battle against cancer.
How it
works:
Every
respective
fan
group
raises
money
towards
the
fight
against
cancer.
Then
that
money is
donated
to their
local
cancer
society,
hospital,
or
research
centre.
For
example,
Buffalo's
designated
charity
is the
Roswell
Center;
Philadelphia
Wings'
fan
group is
donating
to the
Fox
Chase
Cancer
Research
Center.
The
Toronto
Rock's
fan
group
will be
giving
their
raised
money to
the
Canadian
Cancer
Society.
Lisa's
Beads:
Lisa
McBride
battled
non-Hodgkin's
lymphoma
for 5
years
and lost
the
fight on
July 6,
2003.
Spencer
and
Taylor,
along
with
their
three
cousins,
Shannon,
Hannah,
and
Kristie,
began
making
beaded
bracelets
in
Lisa's
memory
and
selling
them to
friends
and
neighbours.
In four
months,
they
raised
over
$1000.00
for the
Canadian
Cancer
Society.
But
they're
not
stopping
there!
They are
still
making
bracelets
and plan
many
more
such
donations
to help
the
fight
against
this
dreaded
disease.
Shortly after the Les' Fund Initiative began, I received an article about the McBride girls. Doug, their father, works with me at Thistletown Regional Centre with children with severe developmental challenges. I proposed that we join forces. They make bracelets in NLL team colours, and I'll get the different teams' fan groups to sell them. Doug loved the idea. Lisa's Beads were a hit--in one night I sold over $400 worth of bracelets at Joe Badali's after the Feb 13th game. On Feb. 27, we sold $1800 worth. The Les' Fund Initiative has the personal endorsement of the National Lacrosse League and its Commissioner, Jim Jennings; the entire Toronto Rock Lacrosse Club organization; the Canadian Cancer Society; and most importantly, Les, Gloria, and the whole Bartley family. Like Les' Warriors and Angels say in the Les' Fund Initiative: Remember: Cancer has a whole new enemy, the NLL fans and the Lacrosse Community .... and we do not play nice.
- Jarrett Harris
VISIT www.sportcares.ca FOR MORE INFO
