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Friends of Jaclyn Named 2015 Charity Challenge Winners

By Christian Heimall, 12/02/15, 11:00AM EST

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Foundation to be a Part of 2016 Active International Rockland Boulders Charity Challenge

(POMONA, NY) – The Rockland Boulders and Active International announced “Friends of Jaclyn” as the winners of the 2015 Charity Challenge at the September 11th playoff game against Trois-Rivieres at Palisades Credit Union Park. The 2015 Charity Challenge featured 13 different area charities who were honored at Boulders games throughout the season.

According to Joe Allen, Senior Vice President of Community Affairs and Employee Communications at Active International, Friends of Jaclyn was more than worthy of winning the season-long promotion “All of us at Active International and the Rockland Boulders congratulate Friends of Jaclyn for their efforts at Palisades Credit Union Park as part of the Charity Challenge. They were everything we believe a participating organization would be; energetic, engaged, highly visible and educational. It’s no surprise they were the season’s most successful charity.”

Developed in 2005, the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation is dedicated to improving the quality of life for children battling pediatric brain tumors. It was founded after Jaclyn Murphy was diagnosed with medulloblastoma, a malignant brain tumor, in 2004 at the age of nine. A fan of lacrosse, Jaclyn was adopted by the Northwestern Women’s Lacrosse team through chance events and connected with the players and coaching staff during their National Championship run. The organization pairs children battling brain tumors with other collegiate and professional sports teams and today has helped more than 600 children with schools and franchises.

“The most important thing to us is providing a distraction for these children who are battling brain tumors and cancer,” said Kylie Wojcicki, Event Coordinator for Friends of Jaclyn. “Our Charity Challenge night provided just that! Seeing the smiles on the children's faces throughout the game, from being on the field alongside the players to simply enjoying a night out with their family was so special. We are so grateful for Active International and the Rockland Boulders providing us with the chance to give our families a fun night at the ballpark. We can't wait to come back next year to raise more awareness and most importantly, put more smiles on these courageous children's faces.”

Today, Jaclyn is doing just fine after numerous surgeries and treatments and is a healthy 20-year-old girl. The Hopewell Junction native has begun her senior year at Marist College, while she and her family continues to spread the message and help countless families. For more information on the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation, you can visit their website at www.friendsofjaclyn.org.

The Active International/Rockland Boulders Charity Challenge is a mechanism designed to help area charities benefit the lives of those living in the Lower Hudson Valley and Northern New Jersey. Past winners include Camp Venture, Children of Promise Stable, and Jawonio. Information on the 2016 Challenge and how to register will be available online at www.RocklandBoulders.com in the coming months.