Hockey players in Chestermere are taking to the ice Saturday to play a consecutive 262-hour-long game to break their record and raise funds for the Alberta Children’s Hospital.
Forty players have to come together several times since 2012 to both break the Guinness World Record and raise nearly $4 million.
“This past year has made all of us so much more aware of the fact that to fight viruses and life-threatening diseases, we need the best healthcare resources and the best science,” said Alex Halat, the lead event organizer.
“We wish kids didn’t get cancer. But they do and they need us. And we think Calgary/Chestermere and the surrounding area is ready to make this the biggest fundraiser yet.”
Hockey Marathon says the funds are meant for the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation’s Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Experimental and Novel Therapies EXcellence (PHOENIX) program.
It’s an initiative aimed at providing children with new cancer treatments and cures without “long-lasting side effects.”
As of Saturday, nearly $467,000 has been raised.
The puck drops Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Chestermere Recreation Center and will continue until April 16.
Opening ceremonies start at 6:15 p.m.