Par for a Purpose
Par for a Purpose
The Ellicottville Chamber Tees Off to Raise Money for Cancer Research
Ski season has ended, meaning it’s time to hang up your snow pants, boots, skis, snowboards, and poles… and trade them in for your clubs and golf shoes! That’s right, the Holiday Valley golf season is beginning, and along with Sky High Adventure Park and the continued operation of the Mountain Coaster, the fun keeps going all summer long. The Ellicottville Chamber of Commerce is certainly taking advantage of the beautiful weather, with their Par for a Purpose event on Monday, May 20th.
GOLF OUTING TO BENEFIT 11 DAY POWER PLAY
This golf outing gives ticket holders a day of golf, a boxed lunch, dinner, a golf cart for ultimate tooling around, and prizes. “There will be amazing prizes from our presenting sponsor of the event, Labatt,” said Barb Pump, executive assistant at the Ellicottville Chamber of Commerce.
The festivities start at 1:00pm via a shotgun start, and tickets can be purchased online at ellicottvilleny.com.
A portion of these proceeds will benefit the 11-Day Power Play, an incredible cancer benefit run by Amy and Mike Lesakowski. Also sponsored by Labatt, the power play catalyzes cancer research and provides resources to patients and their families in a major way. Sponsors like Labatt and the Ellicottville Chamber of Commerce are a major help to the final fundraising number at 11 Day Power Play, and Amy expressed her gratitude to have such a wonderful support system within Western New York. “We are incredibly grateful. Our sponsors like the Ellicottville Chamber of Commerce help us raise critical funds and spread awareness beyond Buffalo,” said Amy.
Barb and the Chamber were fortunate to connect with Amy and Mike Lesakowski a few years ago. “I wanted to do what I could to help spread the word on what they are doing to help with cancer research,” said Barb.
A LOT OF HOCKEY FOR A LOT OF GREAT REASONS!
Hockey is a grueling sport. You need to be agile, strong, fast and smart. Now I want you to put this into perspective: A typical NHL ice hockey game is about two and a half hours. That’s about 10 percent of the 24-hour day. If you watch two games, that’s probably over 5 hours and creeping up on 20 percent of the day; meaning hockey players wrestle a puck under layers upon layers of gear for at least two hours on a typical game day. Now truth be told I’m not an athlete, so even the mention of sports will have me doubled over and gasping for air, but that sounds pretty exhausting! Now try this: hockey for 100 percent of the day; that’s 24 hours of straight hockey!
Okay after doing the math, I’ve reached my conclusion. The folks over at the 11-Day Power Play cannot POSSIBLY be humans. We’re coming up on their annual 250-hour hockey game!
That’s right. The 11 Day Power Play is coming up, and it’s the biggest one yet! With 2,300 participants, there will certainly be no shortage of competition on the ice! This out-of-this-world sporting feat has become a WNY tradition, each year striving to raise money for all aspects of cancer - from research to resources for patients and their families. Included in their list of beneficiaries are Roswell Park, Camp Good Days, Roswell Park Oishei Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Program, and Make-A-Wish WNY.
The actual game kicks off Thursday, June 20th when community ice shifts open up. Registered teams are allotted three hours of playtime on the ice, and the game is open to players 11 and up. However, the festivities start off the ice as well, with the opening celebration running from 7:00-9:00pm at the LECOM Harborcenter.
“The entire community is invited to be part of this fun-filled night. We celebrate our top fundraisers who play in a special hockey game, celebrity guest appearances, indoor fireworks, food and beverage to purchase along with the 2024 11 Day Power Play merchandise,” said Amy.
At first, I’ll admit it seemed crazy to me that an organization would pull off such a laborious event year after year all for a fundraising effort, but after speaking with Amy, I understand that this isn’t just a hockey game. The Lesakowski family’s annual event makes perfect sense. They certainly have eleven days or 250 hours’ worth of love, motivation and nerve to feed the effort against cancer that so many fight in Western New York and beyond each and every day.
THE BACKSTORY
Amy Lesakowski, along with her husband and three children have enjoyed Western New York as their home for many years. “We spend a lot of time in Ellicottville enjoying all four seasons,” said Amy. She was diagnosed with a rather aggressive form of breast cancer in 2009. She battled her cancer with the support of her three children and husband, Mike Lesakowski. Luckily, Amy had access to resources that saved her life, like an innovative new drug woven into a long-term chemical treatment plan.
It’s no secret that we Western New Yorkers are fortunate to have such phenomenal treatment hubs like Roswell Park. The Lesakowskis noticed a problem years later with some of these resources; clinical trials that made the difference between life and death for Amy were not available to Mike’s mother, Evelyn, who unfortunately lost her hard-fought battle at age 62. That was in 2016; a year prior to the first 11 Day Power Play.
There is nothing else in this world like the feeling of watching a loved one fight the long and hard battle that is cancer. It’s truly taxing on the mind, body and spirit. After two battles and a crushing loss, the Lesakowskis decided that something must be done; everybody should have access to these life-saving resources, no matter what. They set out to break the world record for the longest hockey game… and they did, raising $1.2 million in their first year!
“A clinical trial at Roswell saved my life, but to date, there needs to be more available,” said Amy. Obviously, the goal is a cure, but Amy told me about another aspect of treatment that makes a huge difference. It’s called immunotherapy… “treatment that helps your immune system fight cancer,” mentioned Amy. The goal is to lessen the significant and ever-recognizable impact that other treatments can have on the human body. “It’s giving patients less harsh treatments and hope. Roswell Park is working hard right in our backyard to bring immunotherapy to the forefront of cancer care,” Amy added.
Resources like this and others that save lives are the result of the brilliant minds at Roswell. Supporting their research in any way we can helps to heal bodies and bring people together, and Amy says this is exactly what keeps her motivated every year. “We are inspired by those we have lost and those who continue to fight this disease,” Amy said. “They need our support, and the 11 Day Power Play is doing just that!”
In seven years, $6 million has supported Roswell Park in their research, with other significant margins being allocated toward programs like Camp Good Gays and Oishei Children’s Hospital. This year, 11 Day Power Play hopes to add to that in a bigger way than ever, with 250 hours of love, community and hockey coming just this summer. Since 2017 the 11 Day Power Play has raised a total of $10 million in just seven years thanks to generous donors in WNY and beyond.
Learn more about the 11 Day Power Play fundraiser at 11daypowerplay.com. And don’t forget to show your support in Ellicottville by participating in the Chamber’s Par for a Purpose golf tournament at Holiday Valley on May 20th! Find your foursome and register at ellicottvilleny.com.