Grow the Game®

Share on facebook
Share on twitter
Share on linkedin
Share on reddit
Share on whatsapp

HEADstrong Announces New Fall Collegiate Event

High quality NCAA Tournaments in the Fall are few and far between. That’s not to say there aren’t any in existence, but when the HEADstrong Foundation announced their new fall collegiate event for this October, it immediately jumped to the front of the pack for me, especially considering everything that will be going into this tournament.

I was fortunate enough to get a few minutes of Pat Colleluori, Jr.’s time. Pat is the Director of Development for the HEADstrong Foundation and Nick’s brother. He spoke with me about this exciting new event, specifically how it will impact both HEADstrong and the University of Pennsylvania Men’s Lacrosse program.

The Event

On October 19th, the HEADstrong Foundation will be hosting the 1st annual University City Classic, an NCAA D1 Men’s Lacrosse event featuring the likes of the University of Pennsylvania, Drexel University, Bellarmine University and Hobart College.

This presents a very exciting opportunity for all four of these programs. Penn and Drexel are both very good squads that should do pretty well in the upcoming 2014 season. Bellarmine is an underrated program and will be looking to surprise a few more teams this year, and Hobart has potential, and some new faces, but is still looking to be more consistent with big wins.

This event encompasses everything that the HEADstrong Foundation is about. – Pat Colleluori, Jr.

The Venue

The UCC will be played in a very special location – Penn Park. Outside of Penn Park being an incredible facility in and of itself, this also happens to be in the shadows of the very place where HEADstrong founder Nicholas Colleluori fought his battle against non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia are located just down the street and will play a role in the UCC as well.

Patients receiving care at HUP and CHOP will be able to attend and watch the entire tournament for free along with their families.

Screenshot_9_10_13_1_06_PM

The Philanthropy

As we just mentioned, patients receiving care from HUP and CHOP, as well as their family members will receive free admission to the tournament. Then at the conclusion of the University City Classic, the HEADstrong Foundation will also serve meals to the patients and families at both HUP and CHOP.

Fun Facts about the Event

October 19th also marks the day for three very special occasions: 1) The kick-off for Mustache Madness, 2) HSF Founder Nick Colleluori’s 28th birthday, and 3) Ken Clausen’s 26th birthday.

This should make for a truly memorable experience for all those involved. If you are in the Philadelphia area the weekend of October 19th, I would highly recommend making it out to Penn Park to check out all the action and maybe even volunteer some time to those in need. Head over to HEADstrong.org to see how you can volunteer.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Check out the full press release below

Philadelphia, PA – HEADstrong Foundation™ in partnership with the University of Pennsylvania Men’s Lacrosse Team is proud to announce plans for a NEW Fall collegiate event for 2013. The University City Classic™ will be held on Saturday October 19th at University of Pennsylvania’s Penn Park located in Philadelphia, PA. Penn Park is the University’s newly erected athletic complex and the games will be played in the shadows of the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, where HEADstrong Founder Nicholas “HEAD” Colleluori fought his battle against non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.

The event will feature (4) Division I programs playing two scrimmages each. The games will begin promptly at 11:00AM. Participating teams include Bellarmine University, Drexel University, Hobart College and the University of Pennsylvania.

Admission can be purchased at the ticket booths on event day. All proceeds will support the HEADstrong Foundation™, the Nicholas E. Colleluori Lymphoma Research Fund and the Abramson Cancer Center.

Children Under 5 – Free
Children Under 12 – $5.00
Adult One Day Pass – $10.00

The UCC™ is a day a philanthropy pairing the elements of a Fall collegiate scrimmage with a day of service. Emphasis will be placed on providing an outlet for patients and their families while raising funds to support HEADstrong’s research effort.

HEADstrong will provided complimentary admission to patients and families receiving care at the both the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Shuttles will transport people from the hospitals to the event complex and afterwards the Foundation will serve dinner to the patients, families and staff at the Rhoads Pavilion at HUP and on the Hematology Oncology floors at CHOP.

“On behalf of the HEADstrong Foundation™, our Founder Nicholas “HEAD” Colleluori and our family we are proud to announce our newest Fall collegiate event, the University City Classic. We plan to make this an annual event in addition to our existing Fall fundraisers. Special thanks to all of the participating teams helping us to see this event into fruition. When Nick was going through treatment for non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma at times he felt cooped up in the hospital and it really affected his moral. When he had the chance to come home, watch a game from the sidelines at Hofstra he seemed so rejuvenated. We wanted to do something really special on what would have been his 28th birthday and provide that opportunity for families receiving inpatient care to get out and spend the day together watching some incredible lacrosse. After the games we will be serving a catered dinner to them in effort to promote normalcy to celebrate the importance of the family support network. We are proud to partner with University of Pennsylvania on this endeavor, through the UCC™ we will be able to strengthen our commitment to those affected by the disease. We look forward to seeing everyone on October 19th.”

​​​​ – Cheryl Colleluori, HEADstrong President and Nick’s Mom

For more information on the HEADstrong Foundation’s fall event schedule go to www.HEADstrong.org