September is Children’s Cancer Awareness Month, and as it comes to an end we wanted to point out one of the smartest, simplest and fin events that crosses generations, and is ripe for a bigger play and some great brand participation as it grows; Jam Kancer In The Kan.
Ever play or see KanJam? If not, here goes. KanJam was created in the 1980s by Charles Sciandra and Paul Swisher in Buffalo, New York, originally being called “Garbage Can Frisbee, “
It is now played in all 50 states, across Canada, the Caribbean, Australia, New Zealand, across Europe and many other countries around the world. The object of the game is to score points by throwing and deflecting the flying disc…”Frisbee” and hitting or entering the goal. The game ends when a team scores exactly 21 points or “chogs” the disc for an instant win. Players must get exactly 21. If a throw takes a team’s score over 21 points, the points for that throw are subtracted from their score instead of being added. In the event of a tie (both teams have 21 points at the end of a round), additional rounds are played until one team has more points than the other at the end of a round.
The goals (“kans”) are spaced approximately 50 feet apart. A team consists of two people each standing at opposing ends of the playing field. One player throws the disk, while the other acts as the “deflector,” who is free to move anywhere, unlike the thrower, but the deflector may not catch, carry, or double hit the disc. The original deflector then throws the disc back to the original thrower from his end in order to score, and then the next team takes their turn. Simple. Easy. Fun.
So here’s how you take it and make it into a fun fundraiser that helps thousands in the fight against pediatric cancer.
Jam Kancer In The Kan was created in 2014 by four friends with one thing in common: their lives had been ravaged by kancer. Fueled by their desire to help someone avoid the pain they felt at the hands of this disease, they enlisted local friends to join their fundraising efforts and compete for the title of Kan Jam Champions of Scotch Plains and Fanwood, New Jersey. In the two years since it began, Jam Kancer In The Kan has raised over $56,000 and now will look for more.
But wait…it gets better.
While their parents sat at the kitchen counter planning the first Jam Kancer In The Kan event, the children sat nearby, playing. A short while later, one of the children produces a drawing and says ” We should have a Lemonade Stand and call it “Kups For Kancer”. The parents smile and continue planning Jam Kancer In The Kan, while the children sit feet away and begin planning what has become their own Fundraising event, Kups For Kancer.
Each year, in the week preceding Jam Kancer In The Kan , the children plan and stage their own town-wide “Kups For Kancer” lemonade stand. Partnering with local businesses and promoting their efforts through their schools, sports leagues and other groups, our ” Junior Jammers” take shifts staffing the “Kups” stand, and sometimes they even put their parents to work to help them promote their Fundraiser. In the two years since the event began, the children have raised over $3,200.00 for Pediatric Kancer Research at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
This week the 3rd annual Jam Kancer In The Kan Fundraising tournament will take place on Saturday, at the Highland Swim Club, located at 1235 Martine Avenue in Scotch Plains, New Jersey. All proceeds from Jam Kancer In The Kan will be donated to The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), the first children’s hospital in the United States which now serves more children than any other pediatric hospital in the nation. It’s Pediatric Cancer Center sees more than 500 new patients annually, and follows the treatment of an additional 4,000 patients per year. The Cancer Center has developed into one of largest and most renowned pediatric cancer research programs in the nation, impacting children from all over the world.
A simple game, a low barrier to entry and a big reward. Jam Kancer In A Kan scores on all levels, and will only get better.
http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KciWBQdZggg
