In this day and age, it can be hard to part with a cell phone for even a few hours, let alone a whole month. But that’s exactly what a team of hockey players has done.
Hockey players at Billerica Memorial High School in Billerica, Mass., are supporting 12-year-old Ian Cadden, who plays PeeWee hockey, in his battle with leukemia by giving up their cell phones for a month in an effort to get adults to donate money, according to ABC News.
The idea was spawned by Glen Corbett, the father of one of the Billerica players. The team handed their cell phones over on April 17, and will not see them again until May 16.
The group is calling the fundraiser “Celling Out for Leukemia.”
The team reached out to others who were interested in getting involved, and collected 101 cell phones total, which are being kept at the local police station until May.
“We would do anything for that kid,” Cal Johnson, a sophomore hockey player told the Lowell Sun. “It’s only 30 days, not that bad. Hopefully this becomes a tradition to help anyone going through hard times.”
The deal is that each student who gives up their phone for 30 days reaches out to the community asking for a sponsor, and community members decide how much they are willing to give. Some are donating $1 a day for the 30 days, while some businesses are sponsoring for $500, $300 or $150.
In February, the team made Cadden an honorary captain and had him drop the puck for the opening of their game against Chelmsford High School.
“He’s a tough kid. A fighter,” Cadden’s dad and coach of the Billerica Pee Wee hockey team, Bill Cadden, told the Sun. “Just to see him smile and his hair starting to grow back is amazing.”
Photo via Twitter/@HockeyBillerica
