BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. - Chicago Fire Soccer has announced that it has joined forces with the St. Baldrick's Foundation to bring the First Annual Fado/St. Baldrick's Soccer Challenge to Bridgeview. The event will be held on Saturday, Aug. 26 during halftime of the Chicago Fire-Colorado Rapids match (7:30 p.m., CSN) at TOYOTA PARK. At the halftime break, two amateur teams, sponsored by Fado Irish Pub and Restaurant, will take to the field for a mini-match.
The twist? Members of the losing team not only lose the match but their hair as well! They will have their heads shorn post-game by Fire midfielder Justin Mapp and forward Nate Jaqua in support of the St. Baldrick's Foundation, which raises money for children's cancer research through head-shaving events. Chicago Fire Soccer will donate a portion of the day's ticket sales to the St. Baldrick's Foundation to help the organization in its efforts to continue fighting cancer.
"We are both delighted and anxious to work with the St. Baldrick's Foundation in an effort to battle childhood cancer," said Donald Ortale, Senior Director of Community Relations for the Chicago Fire. "The Chicago Fire believes in what St. Baldrick's stands for and genuinely shares its commitment to help improve the lives of children - our future. We are very much looking forward to having fun on Saturday --and hope that this will be the first of many events hosted by the Fire and St. Baldrick's."
In the past six years, St. Baldrick's has raised over $20 million for childhood cancer research, with over 26,000 past shavees (3,500 in the Chicago-area alone) at 828 events held in the U.S. and worldwide. Shavees come to identify with cancer patients by experiencing a very public aspect of their illness: the loss of their hair and the stigmas associated with that.
Funds raised at St. Baldrick's celebrations are granted to research organizations that meet stringent criteria and who share the foundation's commitment to fiscal responsibility. Its primary grant recipient is the Children's Oncology Group (COG), a network of over 4,000 physicians, nurses and scientists that performs cutting-edge childhood cancer research at its institutions throughout North America and beyond. COG hospitals treat over 90% of all children with cancer in the U.S.
For a complete listing of St. Baldrick's Day events or for more information about the St. Baldrick's Foundation, please visit www.StBaldricks.org or call 888-889-BALD. The St. Baldrick's Foundation is an independent, IRS approved, 501(c)(3) organization, Federal ID # 20-1173824. Audited financial statements are available for public viewing on the St. Baldrick's Foundation website.
