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Dodgeball tournament raises money to fight leukemia

A dodgeball tournament helped raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

University students, faculty and community members in Pennsylvania teamed up for a glow-in-the-dark dodgeball tournament Friday night that raised funds for blood cancer awareness and research for cures.

Robert Morris University was picked by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society to be the first college to pilot "Dodge The Dark."

"We wanted to find a way where college students could become engaged in something they are passionate about and also in a way that they could feel like they were having a lot of fun," said LLS national director Kristen Ricks. "We feel when someone is diagnosed with cancer, it's the darkest day in their life, and our goal is to bring light to the darkness of cancer."

Fifteen teams of eight to 10 people, such as "Underdodge" and "Dodgefathers," played by the colorful lights of disco strobes in an otherwise dark gymnasium at RMU's North Athletic Complex. They donned glow sticks and stickers: red for his or her support of a friend, black for survivors and gold if he or she was "dodging" in memory of someone.

RMU student Ian Morrison was at the event, dodging in memory of his best friend friend who died from leukemia while they were both seniors in high school in 2014.

"The high energy of the place makes it really fun," said Morrison, who also participates in Light The Night walks. "It's a great way to raise funds."