OREFIELD, PA (April 17, 2024) – “If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball!”

If the words of the legendary (if fictional) Patches O’Houlihan speak to your competitive spirit, maybe you and your friends have what it takes to participate in the inaugural KidsPeace Dodgeball Challenge, presented by the KidsPeace Lehigh Valley Board of Associates!

The event is scheduled for Thursday, June 27, 2024 from noon to 5 p.m. on the soccer fields at KidsPeace’s Orchard Hills Campus in Orefield, PA.  Organizers are seeking 16 co-ed teams of would-be dodgeball titans to compete to be named Dodgeball Champion!

Each team is guaranteed to play three matches of three games each.  In addition to the overall Dodgeball Champion title, prizes will be awarded for Team Spirit, Best Dodger, and Best Catcher!

Spectators will be welcome to attend to cheer on their favorite teams and see how well they embody the spirit of Patches’s famed “Five Ds of dodgeball – Dodge, Duck, Dip, Dive and Dodge!” Food will be available for purchase from locally noted food trucks – such as Dinky’s Ice Cream, The Flying V, PFG Pizza and La Frikitona – and entertainment will be provided by ROCKIN’ RAMALEY.

All proceeds benefit three new fundraising initiatives being established by the KidsPeace Lehigh Valley BOA:

• Bethlehem Foster Care Child and Family Activity Fund, which will enable foster families to bond as a family for a pizza and movie night, or provide a foster child the opportunity to enjoy an extracurricular activity, such as soccer or ballet lessons.
• KidsPeace Hospital’s “Mo’s Closet” effort, allowing KidsPeace staff to outfit a donations room with items that support the safety, health, hygiene and everyday living for the children residing at the hospital. They include jackets, hats, mittens, clothing for all ages, toys for children, hygiene products (such as lice kits, sensitive skin soap, etc.) infant supplies, and household items.
• The creation of “Coping Tool Kits” for clients at KidsPeace’s residential programs in Orefield. These are sets of materials that children can use to calm down or distract themselves when their emotions might overwhelm them. Each Coping Tool Kit is put together to meet the specific needs of one child or a group of children.

Teams and sponsors can register online at www.kidspeace.org/events or reach out to Missy Hartney at melissa.hartney@kidspeace.org or 610-799-8071.

Since 1882, KidsPeace has been building on its expertise to give hope, help and healing to children, adults and those who love them. Through its comprehensive range of residential treatment programs; accredited educational services; unique psychiatric hospital and foster care and community-based programs, KidsPeace is dedicated to helping people connect, transform and overcome their challenges to ensure a stable future, transition to adulthood and gain independence. Since its doors opened, more than 300,000 children have participated in one of the multitude of programs KidsPeace offers.

For additional resources or more information on how to get involved, become a foster parent or make a donation, please visit www.kidspeace.org. Follow us at www.facebook.com/kidspeace.org or on Twitter @KidsPeace.

 

Information Provided By:
Robert Martin
Director of Communications

 

 

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