The entire El Paso Rhinos Hockey team and coaching staff will be shaving their heads to help raise money for the Las Cruces St. Baldrick\’s event. Fans will be able to bid on their favorite Rhino\’s hair to do the first \’swipe\’. Online bidding will take place on www.elpasorhinos.com until the Rhino Friday March 1st. Visit the Rhinos website to stay up to date and bid on your favorite Rhino. Bidding will finish Saturday, March 2nd at the rink during the 3rd period of the Rhinos final home series against the Phoenix Knights. Fans that win will then take the first swipe on the ice. All donations will be presented at the St. Baldrick\’s event in Las Cruces. This year, the Rhinos will be honoring Katie Woods.
The St. Baldrick’s Foundation, a volunteer-driven charity dedicated to raising money for childhood cancer research, will host one of its signature
head-shaving events at El Paso Event Center (4100 E. Paisano Dr.) on Friday, March 2nd, where the entire El Paso Rhinos Junior A team, including the coaching and training staff and stick boys, will shave their heads in solidarity with kids with cancer and raise money to Conquer Childhood Cancers! For the third year in a row, the team and other Rhino members, will be putting their heads’ up for bid. Fans will be able to bid on their favorite Rhino member’s head to take the first swipe – Contact the Rhinos at 915-479-7825 or info@elpasohockey.org for information on the bidding.
Can’t make it to the event? Online donations may also be made on behalf of the team or any of its players by going to www.stbaldricks.org/teams/mypage/81381/2013. This year’s Rhino team is comprised of players from ages 18 – 20 years old. Players come from all over the globe including the Czech Republic, Canada, and several different states.
In 2012, one of the Rhino bantam players, 15 year old Katie Woods was diagnosed with Alveolar Rhabdomysarcoma, a type of cancer that is aggressive in nature. Katie first noticed a bump on her leg in April while playing hockey and when it got bigger a month later her parents took her to her doctor. A tumor was discovered in her leg and a CT scan revealed the cancer in her leg, hip, shoulder and spine. The tumor has since been removed and Katie currently has no living cancer cells. The 2012-13 El Paso Rhinos would like to honor Katie Woods for her courage and strength through her battle with cancer as they participate in the St. Baldrick’s event.
Tom Herman, Director of Youth Hockey and assistant coach for the Rhinos added, “As a team and as an organization, the St. Baldrick’s event really brings the Rhino family closer together. Unfortunately most families have been affected by cancer and this past year watching part of the Rhino family battle cancer and watch Katie go through everything she has, this event is the least we could do. It’s been great to see Katie around the rink and I know we will see her back on the ice once again in her Rhino jersey. Her story is inspiring and her battle, hopeful victory and road to recovery is what this event is truly about.”
About the St. Baldrick’s Foundation
The St. Baldrick’s Foundation is a volunteer-driven charity committed to funding the most promising research to find cures for childhood cancers and give survivors long and healthy lives. Since 2005, St. Baldrick’s has awarded more than $101 million to support lifesaving research, making the Foundation the largest private funder of childhood cancer research grants. St. Baldrick’s funds are granted to some of the most brilliant childhood cancer research experts in the world and to younger professionals who will be the experts of tomorrow. Funds awarded also enable hundreds of local institutions to participate in national pediatric cancer clinical trials, which may be a child’s best hope for a cure. For more information about the St. Baldrick’s Foundation please call 1.888.899.BALD or visit www.StBaldricks.org.
