BOSTON — A 24-hour hockey marathon this weekend is raising money to help families and children fighting cancer.
Dozens of hockey players ranging in ages from 14 to 72 got the opportunity to play inside of Warrior Ice Arena this weekend, the official practice facility of the Boston Bruins.
The players started competing at noon Saturday before wrapping up the final game around noon on Sunday, with a few breaks mixed in along the way.
Jim Abbott, a former player for the Pittsburgh Penguins, is one of the hockey players participating and although he was a little tired Sunday morning, he said it’s all worth it.
“This opportunity here has really been an opportunity for me to look at philanthropy and my passion for hockey, help a bunch of kids out, and it’s just been wonderful,” Abbott said.
LivFree, a small non-profit on an important mission, hosted the 24-hour hockey marathon.
“It’s free to enter,” the chief inspiration officer for LivFree, Jim McCaffrey said. “They make a commitment to raise some funds for LivFree’s mission, which is bringing moments of joy to kids in the pediatric cancer community, and they come out to participate in those groups in a running game from beginning to end.”
All of the money raised from the weekend will go to Christopher’s Haven, a Boston non-profit putting smiles on kids’ faces and providing housing in the city for families receiving medical care.
“LivFree is a perfect partnership for us because we try to make it fun for the families while they’re living with us at Christopher’s Haven,” the executive director of Christopher’s Haven, Susan Kagan said.
Most recently, they were able to bring Felix, a young child from Switzerland to the France Norway World Cup match in Foxborough.
“The kid loves France it was just a great time so small things like that whether we’re doing sporting events, concerts, we took one of the kids to a fishing trip up in Gloucester,” Abbott said. “Just so many great ways to have fun with the families.”
Abbott also serves as the president of the board of directors for Christopher’s Haven.
LivFree surpassed their fundraising goal and is on track to raise $150,000 by the end of Sunday.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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