COLUMBUS — Columbus Crew SC today announced the Club’s initiatives and activations throughout the month of September, as part of MLS WORKS’ seventh-annual Kick Childhood Cancer campaign. This September, which is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, Crew SC’s activations will take place virtually as well as in-match and aim to raise awareness of pediatric cancer as well as honor pediatric cancer patients, survivors and their families.
Tonight and on Saturday, Crew SC will light-up the MAPFRE Stadium scoreboard in gold as part of MLS’ Kick Childhood Cancer campaign. All Crew SC matches at MAPFRE Stadium during the month of September will also feature gold goal nets, gold corner kick flags and an official Kick Childhood Cancer soccer ball. Players will wear a special Kick Childhood Cancer patches on their jerseys, team captains and referees will don Kick Childhood Cancer armbands and wristbands, respectively. Additionally, merchandise will be available for purchase in support of the campaign including items such as flags, patches, scarves, balls and lapel pins.
Crew SC will virtually integrate pediatric patients, survivors and their families into the in-match experience through the Fan-Cam, while Crew leadership and the Club’s television broadcast team will wear Kick Childhood Cancer scarves and lapel pins. During tomorrow’s match against Nashville SC, the Nordecke is also set to display Kick Childhood Cancer tifos.
The Crew continues to publish “LampStrong Hero of the Match” stories before each match in September. These stories are accounts of pediatric patients bravely battling cancer in Central Ohio, supported by the LampStrong Foundation. The LampStrong Foundation was founded by Crew goalkeeper and Stage IV Hodgkin lymphoma survivor Matt Lampson. The Black & Gold are also set to support NC4K’s “#GoGold4” campaign to show solidarity for pediatric cancer patients and their families.
The Black & Gold have also locally delivered Continental Care Kits – supported by Continental Tire -- to Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Ohio, Nationwide Children’s Hospital and NC4K. The care kits contain Kick Childhood Cancer-themed items such as a drawstring bag, a mini-ball, a magnetic puzzle, an adult activity book, colored pencils and a coloring book.
Crew SC supporters are encouraged to record a “Message of Hope” to inspire pediatric cancer patients and their families. These messages can be shared on social media and for every post that uses the hashtag #KickChildhoodCancer, Continental Tire will donate $25 to fund pediatric cancer research (up to $50,000) during the month of September.
The Black & Gold welcome expansion side Nashville SC at MAPFRE Stadium tomorrow evening [7:30 p.m. ET / FOX Sports Ohio, FOX Sports GO (Stream) / 97.1 The Fan & 971TheFan.com (English), ColumbusCrewSC.com (Spanish)]. The match will mark the first all-time regular-season meeting between the Crew and Nashville SC. As previously announced, the Crew will don gold kits in Saturday’s contest.
