Second edition of Lace It Up! Football for Her a great success

Participants of the second annual Lace It Up! Football For Her fundraiser that took place on March 29, 2015 at Club Sportif MAA trying on some equipment of the Montreal Alouettes players. All proceeds from the event, created by Alouettes linebacker Ky Hebert, will go to the Cedars Breast Clinic at the McGill University Health Centre. Photo credit: Melika Dez.

On Sunday, March 29, 120 participants took part in the second edition of Lace It Up! Football for Her, a unique fundraiser to introduce women to football at Club Sportif MAA with the help of nine Montreal Alouettes players.

Organized in support of the Cedars Breast Clinic at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC), this event is an initiative of Alouettes linebacker Kyries Hebert, nicknamed "The Angry Bird", who is also an ambassador of the Cedars Cancer Foundation since 2012 and president and founder of the KyCares Foundation. Because he was born in October, breast cancer awareness month, Hebert decided to create this event to help women and support the cause. 

"As a pro athlete, I have an opportunity to reach a lot of people. I have to use that platform to make a difference in the lives of others. I take great pride in giving back to those in need,” Hebert said. 

Some of the 120 participants at the second annual Lace It Up! Football For Her fundraiser that took place on March 29, 2015 at Club Sportif MAA. At top right is event founder, Montreal Alouettes linebacker Ky Hebert, and the presenting sponsor, Corinne & Co owner Corinne Asseraf (3rd, top left). All proceeds will go to the Cedars Breast Clinic at the McGill University Health Centre. Photo credit: Melika Dez

The Angry Bird was accompanied by eight of his teammates: Jean-Christophe Beaulieu, Nicolas Boulay, Joshua Nathan Bourke, Eric Deslauriers, Samuel Fournier, Anwar Stewart (coach), Tyrell Sutton and Ryan White. Dr. David Fleiszer, a surgical oncologist at the MUHC and former director of the Cedars Breast Clinic, was scheduled to appear as the special guest, but due to a family emergency he was represented by his wife and daughter.

A good mood, exercise, music, photo sessions and autographs, snacks, a buffet, a special Alouettes cocktail and a question-and-answer session with the players were the order of the festive and sporty day. The football course was open to both beginners and amateur football players, and featured a series of exercises to help the women better understand the sport and reveal some secrets: basic game rules and strategies, fitness and injury prevention, concussions, and more. 

Participants also had a chance to try on some of the athletes’ equipment and train directly with the pros! Thanks to the generosity of numerous sponsors, including the presenting sponsor Corinne & Co, there was also a raffle and silent auction featuring fabulous prizes – such as a limousine evening with Kyries Hebert and other players that included dinner at the restaurant Toro Toro.  

Sandra Albers, who participated in the event for her second time, said: "I had so much fun last year, I love the cause and really appreciate how Kyries is gentle, genuine, sincere, and a gentleman to be involved in this project that is clearly so close to his heart. That’s why I decided to participate again. It was even better this year because there were more participants!” 

The proceeds will be donated to the Cedars Breast Clinic at the MUHC. The clinic offers a unique and integrated team of medical and technical experts all working together to provide a one-stop approach for its patients.  

Every year more than 20,000 women visit the Cedars Breast Clinic, where diagnosis, treatment, and followup are all available at the same location and where same-day test results are offered for diagnostic mammograms, ultrasounds and more. 

- 30 -

For further information:

Sandra Sciangula
[email protected]
514 934-1934, extension 71228

About the Cedars Cancer Foundation

The Cedars Cancer Foundation is a hospital-based charity whose mission is to provide comprehensive cancer care for all cancer patients – pediatric, adolescent and young adult (AYA), adults and those in palliative care – who are being treated at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC). The Cedars Cancer Foundation fulfils this mission by providing much-needed funds to:  

• Purchase state-of-the-art diagnostic oncology equipment

• Improve facilities for the treatment and care of cancer patients. Accomplishments include the creation of the Cedars Breast Clinic at the Royal Victoria Hospital, renovations to Sarah’s Floor – the hematology/oncology division at the Montreal Children’s Hospital, renovations to the Palliative Care Unit at the Montreal General Hospital, and much more

• Run the Cedars CanSupport program, which offers free psychosocial, practical and humanitarian assistance to cancer patients and their families, as well as financial assistance through the Wilfrid Howick Humanitarian Endowment Fund

• Support cancer research through the Henry R. Shibata Fellowship Award

• Provide annual visiting professorships in oncology that bring world-renowned researchers, educators and physicians to the McGill teaching hospitals – the Vivian Saykaly Visiting Professorship in Medical Oncology, the Edward J. Tabah Visiting Professorship in Surgical Oncology as well as the N. Blair Whittemore Visiting Professorship in Pediatric Hematology-Oncology.
• Improve awareness of cancer-related issues through free public lectures and educational programs