With these 80-degree temperatures in March, it seems like we can’t go a day without from hearing about another heat record being broken.
But there is one record-breaking event that will be happening next week, and it has nothing to do with the weather.
Next Friday, a grand total of 52 kickball players will assemble at Linden Park in Naugatuck for a 60-hour kickball game that will run from March 30 to April 1.
by holding the longest kickball game in world history.
And it’s all for a good cause. The teams involved — Team Julian and Team Sammy, both named after local child cancer survivors — are raising money for child cancer research through kick-it.org.
Already, the teams have surpassed their fundraising goal, having garnered just under $26,000 in donations as of Friday. although, according to the donation page, that goal has been bumped up to $30,000.
“I think the biggest donation we got was $300 from one business,” said Sean Cummings, a Naugatuck native who has been coordinating the event for the past month. “So, it’s all pretty much through small donations. It’s real grassroots fundraising.”
Separately, there is going to be an extra 50-50 raffle during the game, with 50 percent of the raffle ticket money going to Mackenzie Newsome, a 3-year-old Danbury girl .
Cummings said one of the players on his team knows the Newsome family, and he read an article about her condition they decided to form this separate fundraising effort to help her out too.
Multiple organizations, businesses and individuals are donating to this cause. Just ask an example, the local Elk’s Lodge will be cooking up food all day for the 52 players for free. is donating banners, and a number of area restaurants are donating food also.
See the kick-it.org for a full rundown of events for the public, including bounce houses, live music a DJ and more.
