Roger Maris All-Star Week returns June 13
April 25, 2022
Contact:
Nathan Aamodt
Sanford Health Media Relations
(701) 200-6080/nathan.aamodt@sanfordhealth.org
FARGO, N.D. – The second annual Roger Maris All-Star Week returns June 13-19 at various locations throughout the Fargo-Moorhead area.
100% of funds raised during Roger Maris All-Star Week will stay local and help support Sanford Roger Maris Cancer Center’s vision to expand into a national destination for cancer research, treatment, education and training. Last October, Sanford Roger Maris Cancer Center launched the region’s first and only Blood and Bone Marrow Transplant Program. To date, Sanford Fargo has completed eight autologous transplants, meaning the patients donated their own cells for processing and transplant. This summer, Sanford Fargo plans to start allogeneic bone marrow transplants, where cells are taken from a healthy donor’s bone marrow for a transplant, and later this year Sanford Fargo is planning on introducing CAR T therapy, where genetically modified T cells are infused.
“The Blood and Bone Marrow Transplant Program is a huge step forward for our region,’ said Dr. Anu Gaba, Sanford Roger Maris Cancer Center medical oncologist. “Having cancer is hard enough, and having this service in our patient’s own backyard will help eliminate that burden of having to travel for health care. Roger Maris All-Star Week is a great asset for continuing to get the highest class of life-saving medical care in our community closer to home. Our patients deserve it.”
Roger Maris All-Star Week was created to support the work happening at the cancer center, honor loved ones, friends and neighbors affected by cancer, promote Roger’s passion for fitness and youth sports and celebrate the enduring legacy of hometown hero, Roger Maris.
The list of events during Roger Maris All-Star week includes:
• Youth sports camps– June 13, 14, 16, 17
• RedHawks throwback game – June 14
• Roger Maris Youth Academy- June 15
• Roger Maris Celebrity Golf Tournament – June 16
• Island Park community event – June 16
• Youth baseball tournament – June 17-June 19
Youth clinics this year include basketball, football, baseball and softball, golf and hockey. Each clinic is free to attend and will be conducted by local, high school and collegiate coaches. Parents can sign their children up for the free clinics at RogerMarisWeek.com.
The Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks will play host to the Cleburne Railroaders on Tuesday, June 14, in a throwback commemorative game. The RedHawks will wear throwback uniforms of the Northern League’s F-M Twins, whom Maris played for in 1953 and was named Rookie of the Year. Player’s uniforms will be auctioned off virtually after the game, with all proceeds benefitting the Sanford Fargo Roger Maris Cancer Center.
New to Roger Maris All-Star Week is the kickoff of the Roger Maris Youth Academy. The Maris Academy is a partnership with the Fargo Boys and Girls Club that is designed to be a year-long program to help children of need find a pathway to a great career. 30 local middle school students will be chosen to combine educational opportunities and mentorship to help these students find their future careers. The first pitch on the Maris Academy is Wednesday, June 15, at Fargo Oak Grove High School.
The Roger Maris Celebrity Golf Tournament returns for a 38th season. The tournament began as a way to raise money for local charities. Nearly four decades later, the tournament has now transformed into a weeklong event supporting the needs of the community. The golf tournament includes an 18-hole tournament at Rose Creek Golf Course, 1500 E. Rose Creek Parkway S., Fargo and a nine-hole scramble at Osgood Golf Course, 4400 Clubhouse Drive S., Fargo.
The Island Park community event is on Thursday, June 16, and will feature a celebration of the arts, live entertainment and a wishing tree in honor of cancer survivors.
Celebrity athletes will once again make an appearance at numerous events throughout the week. This year’s lists of headlining athletes includes:
• Brock Lesnar, six-time World Wrestling Entertainment champion
• Kent Hrbek, two-time World Series champion
• Paul Molitor, inducted to the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame in 2004
• Chad Greenway, two-time NFL Pro Bowler
• Matt Cullen, three-time NHL Stanley Cup champion
“Last year’s inaugural Roger Maris All-Star Week was everything we had envisioned it would be and raised the bar for this event as it continues to grow,” said Roger Maris Jr. “We’re grateful that this week of activities will continue to help in the battle against cancer, all while providing the youth in our community with an opportunity to sharpen their skills on the field and use those skills in their everyday lives. Our dad would be proud with the way his name is living on through Roger Maris All-Star Week and the Sanford Roger Maris Cancer Center.”
In 1961, Roger Maris hit a Major League Baseball single-season record 61 home runs. Although Maris lost his battle to non-Hodgkin Lymphoma at the age of 51, his legacy lives on through Roger Maris All-Star Week and the lifesaving care provided at the Sanford Roger Maris Cancer Center. Since opening its doors in 1990, the comprehensive cancer center has and continues to bring hope to those in and around the region.
For more information on Roger Maris All-Star Week or to sign up for the youth clinics or golf tournaments, visit RogerMarisWeek.com.
About Sanford Health
Sanford Health, the largest rural health system in the United States, is dedicated to transforming the health care experience and providing access to world-class health care in America’s heartland. Headquartered in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, the organization serves more than one million patients and 220,000 health plan members across 250,000 square miles. The integrated health system has 47 medical centers, 2,800 Sanford physicians and advanced practice providers, 170 clinical investigators and research scientists, more than 200 Good Samaritan Society senior care locations and world clinics in 8 countries around the globe. Learn more about Sanford Health’s commitment to shaping the future of rural health care across the lifespan at sanfordhealth.org or Sanford Health News.
