Young Calgary football players hold fundraiser for Ronald McDonald House

Hundreds of young athletes are heading into action to help other Calgary kids this weekend.

And one local family knows firsthand what a huge boost that support brings.

More than 20 teams will be taking the field on Saturday Aug. 19 for the Calgary Minor Football Charity Jamboree (CMFCJ).

The annual event raises money for Ronald McDonald House (RMH) Charities Alberta.

The RMHs in the province provide accommodation and support for families who travel for pediatric hospital treatment.

“(The RMH)  is such a great place,” CMFCJ organizer Al Cooper said. “Families are  really well taken care of – lots of compassion by the volunteers and paid staff.”

CMFCJ has raised $420,000 over the past 12 years, support that’s especially timely for the Calgary RMH.

A major expansion project has recently begun at the facility, construction that will more than triple the space available for families, at a time of high demand.

“We’re full every day,” RMH Charities Alberta CEO Jason Evanson said. “Our waitlist has dozens of families on it and it’s heartbreaking to not have a place for them.”

Members of the Izat family of Calgary are grateful for their stays at the Edmonton RMH, after travelling to the city when their daughter Evie was born in 2020.

“She had a severe heart condition and developed a complete heart block, meaning she needed a pacemaker as soon as she was born,” Evie’s mom Talia Izat said.

Evie needed three surgeries during her first seven months, with the family spending seven weeks at the RMH.

“It really blew our minds, what a special place it is for families to come to,” Izat said.

The CMFCJ goes from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday at Shouldice Park in N.W. Calgary, with more information at  Calgary Minor Football Charity Jamboree – GlobalNews Events