BUFFALO, N.Y. — This weekend, 2 On Your Side's Pete Gallivan will be embarking on a mission to break a world record and raise a lot of money for cancer research and support services. The 11 Day Power Play begins at 6 a.m. Sunday at Buffalo RiverWorks.
Forty participants will start a hockey game that will not stop until the night before Thanksgiving — 252 hours worth. Guinness will be there to verify whether they broke the record or not, but that part is secondary to the big picture. Participants are raising money for Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Camp Good Days, Make-a-Wish WNY and Oishei Children's Hospital
Since the first game in 2017, the brainchild of founders Mike and Amy Lesakowski, the 11 Day Power Play has sent 320 kids to camp, helped grant 100 wishes, and raised $5.2 million, $3.5 million of which has gone to support Roswell Park research and wellness programs.
The preparations are underway at RiverWorks. The beds have been moved in, the ice has been lettered, and the banners are hung.
Participants have been training and raising money since January, and finally the game is about to begin. Those playing won't be able to leave a designated area of Riverworks until the game is over.
Dr. Renier Brentjens of Roswell explains that the dollars raised support clinical trials in their immunotherapy program, and will be used to leverage much larger grants. He is a Buffalo native who recently returned home to become Deputy Director at Roswell.
Brentjens told 2 On Your Side he wasn't surprised by the impact the 11 Day Power Play has had.
"This is the thing that makes me so proud of being from Buffalo," Brentjens said. "New Yorkers would never do something like playing an 11-day long hockey game but this is Buffalo to it's core. If you ever wanted to really see, what's the epitome of Buffalo, it's a fundraiser like this which is just so fantastic."
The goal this year is $2 million. Right now we have surpassed $1.6 million, so we still need your help. To donate to Pete Gallivan's page just follow the link below, and more information on the event, our mission and the causes we support is available at 11DayPowerPlay.com.
Click here to donate: https://www.facebook.com/donate/222349296030130/10224370078494940/