Victoria lacrosse clubs host day-long Lax-4-Life game to combat cancer

VICTORIA – Four Victoria minor box lacrosse organizations are joining forces to host a 12-hour lacrosse game to raise funds for the BC Cancer Foundation on Saturday April 11 with the opening faceoff at 9 a.m. at the Q Centre.

The Lax4Life game is being spearheaded by a group of Victoria-based lacrosse volunteers, including Vancouver Island Minor Lacrosse Commission chair Brian Corbett and long-time Victoria-area lacrosse volunteer Linda Cretney.

“We saw this work really well in Delta and then they put out a challenge to other associations in B.C. We answered their challenge and are looking to build on their success and raise funds and awareness for an important cause,” Corbett said. “The cooperation between minor box lacrosse organizations in Peninsula, Saanich, Victoria-Esquimalt and Juan de Fuca is a testament to the bigger lacrosse family. We look out for each other.”

The game will be a non-contact game with kids as young as 5-years-old (called mini-tykes) and adults playing on the same floor. Participants will play on mixed teams in half-hour shifts. The Q Centre is the iconic home for the Victoria Shamrocks (Western Lacrosse Association, BC Junior Lacrosse Association, and BC Intermediate A), Westshore Bears (BC Junior B) and Juan de Fuca minor lacrosse.

“The lacrosse family is working collaboratively for a great cause,” Cretney said. “We collectively have a desire to work on community initiatives, especially when cancer is something that touches everybody in some way which sadly the fight against cancer does.”

“This is a great opportunity for friends, families and multiple generations to come out and play the game we all love,” Cretney added. “This is a wonderful way to kick off our 2015 minor box lacrosse season in Victoria, a year where we welcome female-only teams in minor box lacrosse to our offerings.”

Registration is now open online (https://www.teampages.com/forms/8402-Lax-4-Life-Victoria-Registration-Form). The cost is $20 per player prior to March 15 and $50 per player after March 15, with an expectation that each player raises $100 in donations toward the BC Cancer Foundation. Players can register as a single participant or as part of a group.

LEARN MORE
Lax-4-Life Victoria Registration page:
https://www.teampages.com/forms/8402-Lax-4-Life-Victoria-Registration-Form
Lax-4-Life Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lax-4-LifeVictoria-BC/939124566117768
BC Cancer Foundation: http://bccancerfoundation.com/
BC Cancer Agency: http://www.bccancer.bc.ca

MEDIA CONTACTS:
Andy Watson – 778-679-5667 / andydkwatson@hotmail.com
Cheryl Brown – 250-704-9745 / habscher@gmail.com
NOTE: Media wishing to attend the April 11 game will receive details closer to the game. 
BACKGROUNDER

History
• Lax-4-Life started when two Delta Minor Lacrosse Association volunteers were experiencing their own family battle with cancer. Kelly and Brian Robinson, two of the driving forces behind this event, are proud parents of Ashley, their daughter and a cancer survivor who played her first season of lacrosse in 2011.

• The Robinson family moved to Delta from Northern Ontario in 2009, and Kelly’s and Brian’s son Mitch joined field lacrosse through a friend at school. The Delta Lacrosse community became part of the Robinsons’ extended family, and when members of Delta Lacrosse joined Ashley’s 12-Hour Relay For Life team in 2010, the idea of a 12-hour lacrosse game was discussed.

• Lax-4-Life grew from there. Recently, Delta Lacrosse put a challenge out to other lacrosse communities to also host an event. The four Victoria minor box lacrosse associations have accepted the Lax-4-Life challenge.

• Lax-4-Life is an annual event in Delta and they have raised significant funds over the years. Their single-year record is close to $20,000. They are now entering their fifth year of the event.

Goal
The Victoria associations have a goal to surpass the $20,000 mark and more importantly help in the battle to beat cancer!

Registration
Registration will be available online soon and is $20 per player prior to March 15 and $50 per player after March 15, with an expectation that each player raises $100 in donations toward the BC Cancer Foundation. Players can register as a single participant or as part of a group.

Spots will be filled on a first-come basis. Organizers will try to get everyone a minimum of two shifts and some players that are available more may get more shifts.

Participants can create their own page on their website to start collecting donations or you can bring cash/cheques to the event. The advantage of the online option is that receipts are provided right away. There will be prizes for those players that collect the most donations.

Volunteers
We are looking for volunteers for a variety of positions. Please email Brian Corbett at briancorbettvimlc@gmail.com.

 
ABOUT THE BC CANCER FOUNDATION

The BC Cancer Foundation is the fundraising partner of the BC Cancer Agency and the largest funder of cancer research in this province. The BCCF enables donors to make contributions to leading-edge research that has a direct impact on improvements to cancer care for patients in British Columbia.

By connecting philanthropy and research, the BCCF supports the revolutionary advances that will help us achieve our vision of a world free from cancer.

One in three British Columbians will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. Because the BC Cancer Agency integrates research and treatment, the process from discovery to treatment is shorter, and researchers are asking questions focused on the needs of patients in BC.

The BC Cancer Agency excels at translating exciting discoveries from the researcher’s bench to the patient’s bedside. This is the quickest and most effective way to impact cancer care, and it makes the Agency an international leader in cancer research.

The BCCF’s unique relationship with the BC Cancer Agency allows our donors to be part of research discoveries made right here in B.C. The BCCF invite donors to become more connected to the BC Cancer Agency’s world-leading research that is shaping the future of patient care. The BCCF is funding the areas of greatest priority and promise, and works with the scientists and clinicians at the BC Cancer Agency to identify the priorities and needs that will have the most significant and timely impact on cancer care and treatment. The BCCF then partners with our donors to raise the necessary funds in support of this life-saving work.

The BC Cancer Agency provides a province-wide cancer control program for everyone in British Columbia and Yukon. It delivers the full spectrum of cancer care including prevention, early detection, diagnosis and treatment, research, education, supportive and palliative care.

ABOUT THE BC CANCER AGENCY

The BC Cancer Agency, an agency of the Provincial Health Services Authority, provides a province-wide, population-based cancer control program for the residents of British Columbia and the Yukon. The Agency accepts patients who have been diagnosed with cancer and are referred by a physician.

The BC Cancer Agency’s mandate covers the spectrum of cancer care, from prevention and screening, to diagnosis, treatment, and through to rehabilitation. The BC Cancer Agency’s mandate is driven by a three-fold mission:

• To reduce the incidence of cancer
• To reduce the mortality rate of people with cancer
• To improve the quality of life of people living with cancer

This mission drives everything the organization does, including providing screening, diagnosis and care, setting treatment standards, and conducting research into causes of, and cures for, cancer.

For more information, please visit http://www.bccancer.bc.ca.