Soccer team kicks in their support

To get everyone in the Christmas spirit, here’s a story about a current student engaging the soccer community and the Nipissing Lakers women’s soccer team to help a local girl who is battling cancer.This past fall, Holly Barker, a fourth-year business student and former Lakers soccer player, organized and lead a charity soccer tournament to support her friend Annie Bedard, who was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The tournament attracted support from the local soccer community, from high school players to the teams in the men’s and women’s leagues.
Lakers soccer coach, David Bitonti heard about the fundraiser and Barker’s involvement and brought it to the attention of his team.  With the Lakers scheduled to play a league game against Ottawa University, participation in the tournament wasn’t possible. The team, however, wasn’t about to be shut out of this endeavor. They raised $305 on their own in one day to support their former teammate’s friend.
Barker raised $4,200 through the tournament, plus another $1,000 from her local high school; bringing the total raised to $5,505. Those funds will help Bedard’s family with lost wages and the cost of travelling for their daughter’s treatment.?