A two-day event featuring National Hockey League (NHL) alumni players plans to donate proceeds towards a fund that will support local cancer research.

The Play for a Cure NHL Alumni Pro-Am event will be held over two days on March 28 and 29, 2019, with set goals to raise awareness about local cancer research, and the significance of integrating this research into cancer patient treatment.

Event chair Jeff Casey is a cancer survivor and says it is because of cancer research that he was able to make a recovery.

“I decided to do something fun and unique that will raise the profile of the amazing work being done by researchers in our community,” says Casey.

Play for a Cure will be open to the public, and all proceeds from the ticket sales will go towards the Cancer Research Collaboration Fund hosted at the Windsor-Essex Community Foundation to support collaborative local cancer research. Casey says the aim is to raise $100,000.

“This is a new fund that is going to support cancer research projects, equipment, and community programs that benefit cancer patients,” says Dora Cavallo-Medved, professor in the Department of Biological Sciences. “And will also provide opportunities for scholarships and training for the next generation of researchers.”

The Windsor Cancer Research Group (WCRG) will be major beneficiary of this fund, which will help support cancer research ongoing at the University of Windsor and Windsor Regional Hospital.

“Many of our researchers study all different kinds of cancer,” says Dr. Cavallo-Medved. “Through our clinical trials program, we try to take our findings from the labs and translate this research into helping cancer patients.”

—Darko Milenkovic