With the third-annual Tom Vadas Memorial “Dodge for the Cure” just a few months away, now is the chance for rusty dodgeball warriors to practice their skills.
A kickoff party is being held on Friday, Feb. 5 for teams and players interested in participating in the “old-school dodgeball tournament.” The event, which benefits the Martin Memorial inpatient oncology unit, takes place May 8 in Jensen Beach.
There is a maximum of 60 teams and the spots go fast, so the kickoff event allows players to register their teams and be ensured of reserving a spot in the field.
The kickoff party will be held at the Martin Memorial Medical Center Conference Center, located at 200 S.E. Hospital Ave. in Stuart. It will take place in two sessions, with the first going from 6-6:30 p.m., followed by a second session from 6:30-7 p.m. During each session, team captains can take a guided tour of the inpatient oncology unit to see how their donations will help benefit Treasure Coast cancer patients. A group photo of all attending teams will be taken at 5:30 p.m.
The registration fee for the youth division (fifth to eighth grade) is $100 per team, while registration for the adult division (ninth grade to all adults) is $30 per player until April 1 and $35 after that date. Each team includes six to eight players. This year there are also two adult categories: the Bonzai Division is for those who choose to be more competitive; the Average Joe division is for those a little less competitive.
The tournament will be held Saturday, May 8 in the Jensen Beach High School gymnasium. The youth division will kick things off with team check-in at 2:30 p.m. and the adult division (ninth grade on up) check-in beginning at 6 p.m.
Funds from the tournament go to the inpatient cancer unit at Martin Memorial. For many cancer patients and their families, the unit becomes a home away from home as they battle the disease. The goal of the tournament is to raise funds to purchase amenities that will help their sometimes lengthy stays more comfortable. In its first two years the event has raised more than $28,000.
The tournament was created in memory of Tom Vadas, who fought Hodgkin’s lymphoma for 16 years before passing away in 2007. Tom spent most of the last year of his life in the cancer unit at Martin Memorial, and he wanted to create a place where patients and their families could feel upbeat and motivated to continue their fight against cancer each day.
For more information on the event, visit dodgeforthecure.com.
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