Rivermen Involved with St. Jude Telethon on Saturday
August 5, 2004 - ECHL (ECHL)
Peoria Rivermen News Release
Peoria, Ill. (August 5, 2004) â President Bart Rogers of the Peoria Rivermen of the ECHL announced today that Rivermen Head Coach/Director of Hockey Operations Jason Christie and Assistant Coach Luke Gruden will appear on the 27th Annual St. Jude Telethon this Saturday, August 7 on WEEK-TV 25. It will be the fifth consecutive year Christie has supported the St. Jude Children's Research Midwest Affiliate. Rogers also announced that the team's booster club â The Rivermen Captains' Booster Club â will be presenting a check for more than $6,000 at the telethon.
Christie and Gruden will man the phone bank from 11:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m., answering calls to take donation pledges from area supporters.
"This charity continues to stay close to my heart," Christie said. "The St. Jude Midwest Affiliate and its yearly telethon are a precious opportunity for the community to support the tremendous care these children receive throughout the year. I urge everyone to keep our phones ringing with pledges on Saturday night."
The Rivermen Captains' Booster Club will present a check for more than $6,000 to the St. Jude Midwest Affiliate at 11:40 p.m. on Saturday. The funds were raised through the Third Annual Rivermen Captains' Booster Club St. Jude Bowl-A-Thon, and the booster club's Christmas & Valentine's Day ornament sales.
The St. Jude Midwest Affiliate has been located in Peoria since 1972 at OSF St. Francis Medical Center. Since the Midwest Affiliate's opening, more than 800 patients have received care. There are four domestic Affiliates in operation for St. Jude, which is based in Memphis, Tenn.
The Midwest Affiliate's operating costs, which are approximately $834,100 per year, are primarily covered by public contributions. Eighty-six (86) cents out of every dollar received goes directly to funding medical care for Midwest Affiliate patients and medical research. Research findings at St. Jude are freely shared with doctors and scientists all over the word.
The Peoria Rivermen are a proud affiliate of the NHL's St. Louis Blues and a member of the ECHL â America's Premier "AA" Hockey League. The Rivermen open their ninth season in the 28-team league on Friday, October 22, 2004, when they host the archrival Dayton Bombers at Carver Arena. Game time is 7:30 p.m. Season ticket packages for 2004-2005 are available by calling the Rivermen at 309.676.1040.
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