University of Richmond Athletics
Spiders Set to Lace Up 4 Pediatric Cancer on April 8
03/28/2017 | Baseball
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. – On April 8th, the Spider Baseball team will join in the fight against childhood cancer and lace up their cleats with gold shoelaces as part of Go4theGoal's “Lace Up 4 Pediatric Cancer” initiative.
“We are thrilled to have Richmond Baseball Lace Up and help bring awareness to children with cancer in the Richmond area,” says Beth Stefanacci, Executive Director of Go4theGoal Foundation. “We're honored to have the players and coaches take our cause on as their own and help us strive to make a difference in the lives of kids battling cancer.”
Along with partnering with Go4theGoal, four Spider baseball players visited the VCU Massey Cancer Center at the Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU this spring. While volunteering their time, the Spider baseball players brought countless smiles to kids' faces, talking to them about baseball and their interests. The players also signed autographs and presented patients with team posters.
“It's hard to put this incredibly humbling experience into words,” said sophomore D.J. Lee. “I am so thankful that we were able to make some new friends down at the VCU Children's Hospital.”
On April 8th, the Spiders will face George Washington in their “Lace Up 4 Pediatric Cancer” game to benefit Go4theGoal. A pre-game ceremony is tentatively planned to honor local children who are fighting cancer alongside their families.
“We were really excited to partner with Go4theGoal Foundation this season,” said head coach Tracy Woodson. “I think this is a great cause for our guys to be raising awareness for, and they've really bought in to it. The guys that went on the hospital visits expressed what a humbling experience it was for them. We hope that we can continue this partnership in the years to come.” 
About Go4theGoal Foundation
Go4theGoal was founded in 2006 a few weeks after Richard Stefanacci was diagnosed with Ewing's Sarcoma, a rare bone cancer. Sadly, Richard lost his battle with cancer, just a couple months shy of his 15th birthday.
The mission of Go4theGoal is to improve the lives of children battling cancer by providing financial support, developing and implementing unique hospital programs, funding innovative research, and granting personal wishes. Through first hand experiences with pediatric cancer, Go4theGoal provides the best practices to patients, their families, and the hospitals and staff that care for them.
About Lace Up 4 Cancer
Lace Up 4 Pediatric Cancer started in 2011 in answer to requests from youth soccer teams in New Jersey that wanted to show commitment to fight against pediatric cancer. Today, teams across the country representing every sport from youth to professional have Laced Up in Go4theGoal's gold laces.
