MLS Real Salt Lake

Soccer Unites Utah to Host Bone Marrow Donor Drives across the Country

February 19, 2009 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Real Salt Lake News Release


SANDY, UT (Thursday, February 19, 2009) - Soccer Unites Utah is continuing to rally support for Marcia Williams and thousands of hopeful bone marrow transplant recipients nationwide, as the charitable group has announced it will partner with DKMS, America's largest bone marrow donor network, and four professional teams spanning Major League Soccer and the United Soccer Leagues to coordinate several marrow match drives across the Unites States over the next few weeks. Soccer Unites Utah will be especially active in the State of Florida this weekend, when it will hold five drives in cunjunction with Real Salt Lake between Tampa and the greater Miami area. In addition, D.C. United, FC Dallas, and the Austin Aztex have also thrown their support behind the cause by organizing upcoming drives in their respective communities across the next few weeks.

Soccer Unites Utah is a grass roots charitable group raising funds to offset medical costs for Marcia Williams - the wife of RSL midfielder Andy Williams - who has waged a fight against a rare form of Leukemia since being diagnosed with the disease last August. The future bone marrow match drives represent just the latest in a series of efforts by Soccer Unites Utah and the American soccer community at large to not only help the Williams family during difficult times, but also to raise awareness in regards to bone marrow donation. Since last fall, Soccer Unites Utah has helped coordinate several marrow drives across the country with the help of DKMS.

In an effort to reach out to the sizable Caribbean community across Florida, Soccer Unites Utah will be sending volunteers to the Sunshine State this weekend to assist in five events. The group will conduct a pair of drives tomorrow, Friday, Feb. 20 in conjunction with RSL's spring training camp in Tampa before moving east across the state to hold a Saturday drive in Sunrise - at which the FC Dallas squad will participate - and Sunday events in Kendall and Miramar. Times and locations for each of the four drives are listed below:

Friday, February 20

University of South Florida Soccer Stadium

USF Tampa campus (stadium located off of USF Maple Drive)

9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. ET

Friday, February 20

MacDinton's Pub - 405 S. Howard Ave. in Tampa, Fla.

3:00-7:00 p.m. ET

Saturday, February 21

Sunrise Holiday Inn - 3003 N. University Dr. in Sunrise, Fla.

10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. ET

Sunday, February 22

Church of the Ascension - 11201 SW 160th St. in Kendall, Fla.

9:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m. ET

Sunday, February 22

Caribbean Winter Soccer Classic

Forzano Field - 2001 Douglas Road in Miramar, Fla.

3:30-6:00 p.m. ET

FC Dallas will conduct a marrow match drive and auction on behalf of Soccer Unites Utah on Saturday, March 14, at the Pizza Hut Park Verizon Wireless Club in conjunction with the second leg of the Hoops' USA-Brazil Soccer Challenge series against Clube Atletico Paranaense, which kicks off at 7:30 p.m. CT in Frisco, Texas. Soccer Unites would like to recognize the efforts of several members of the FC Dallas family - including Bobby and Bevan Rhine and RSL alumni Jeff & Jocelyn Cunningham, John & Tammy Ellinger, and Jamie Watson - for their assistance in coordinating the event.

In addition, Soccer Unites Utah is working with D.C. United, MLS referee Steve Taylor, and Jamaican Ambassador to the United States Anthony Johnson to coordinate a drive in the Nation's Capital in the upcoming weeks, the details of which are still being finalized and will be announced in the upcoming days.

Texas' newest professional soccer team, the Austin Aztex, is rallying behind the cause as well, as the new USL First Division side will host marrow drives in conjunction with its three exhibition contests against Major League Soccer clubs - Saturday, Feb. 28 v. New England Revolution; Saturday, March 7 v. Houston Dynamo; and Saturday, March 14 v. Columbus Crew. All three games will take place beginning at 7:30 p.m. CT at Nelson Field, located at 7400 Berkman Drive in Austin. Another marrow drive will be held at Phoenix's Sun Devil Stadium on Saturday, March 14, when MLS' Chicago Fire and Los Angeles Galaxy will square off in a preseason exhibition contest at 7:00 p.m. PT.

Soccer Unites Utah is also continuing to host a two-week Soccer Memorabilia Auction fundraiser through Feb. 28, with details and links to the eBay auctions found on RSL's official team blog, Behind the Shield, housed online at www.RSLtotheCore.com. For more information on Soccer Unites Utah's upcoming bone marrow drives and fundraisers, and for more ways in which you can help assist the Williams family, please visit www.SoccerUnitesUtah.com. To see if you are eligible to become a bone marrow donor, and to find marrow drives in your area, please head over to www.DKMSamericas.org.

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