The 13th Annual KICKS Against Breast Cancer tournament will be held on April 18th at the Maryland SoccerPlex in Germantown, MD.
This weekend of college soccer and philanthropy will enable coaches and players an opportunity to play spring matches against some of the best college soccer programs in the country while also providing teams the chance to make a difference off the field in the lives of people affected by cancer. Proceeds from this event will benefit Howard County General Hospital’s Claudia Mayer Cancer Resource Center, a member of Johns Hopkins Medicine, in Columbia, MD, a 501c3 non-profit organization supporting individual’s affected by cancer.
Tournament History:
KABC was established in honor of Claudia Mayer who passed away in 1996 after a two-year battle with breast cancer. Since the inception of the tournament 11 years ago, donations and fundraising by our participating teams has totaled more than $700,000. Funds raised in 2008 totaled $70,000. Our thanks to the players who contributed more than $30,000, D.C. United, Maryland State Youth Soccer Association, Virginia Youth Soccer Association, Washington Area Girls Soccer League, National Capitol Soccer League, Capitol Area Soccer Referees Association, E.C. Miracles/Marquette University and adidas soccer…to name a few major donors. The funds are used to assist with the operating expenses for Howard County General Hospital’s Claudia Mayer Cancer Resource Center and to provide wellness services for all cancer patients. Since the inaugural tournament, many other businesses have joined in establishing additional fundraising events.
The format of the tournament will consist of two, 70 minute games per team, to be played on Saturday, April 18th.
During past tournaments, we received an overwhelming response from the teams that participated. The players and coaches expressed their enjoyment of the competition, but equally important, was the feedback we received concerning the significance of the event – providing education and raising awareness about breast cancer. Many players/teams took up personal collections in support of the cause and have conducted activities within their soccer community to raise funds.
Funding is necessary to fight this deadly disease – funding for research, funding for education and funding for treatment. This year, we are again asking all teams to donate $1000.00 per team to participate in our event.
Individual fundraising web pages for all participating teams will be available via Activegiving.com. You will be able to direct potential supporters to your own website to make on-line donations. Details will follow.
If your team is interested in participating or you have questions, please feel free to call me at (443) 812-5195. All tournament details will be available by accessing the KICKS website – www.kicksagainstbreastcancer.org.
Louise Waxler
Founder, KABC
