Chilliwack, B.C. (July 17, 2024): On July 27, six best friends will tighten their rollerblades and hit the hockey box for a day-long roller hockey tournament honouring the memory of their late friend, Markus Joel Schouten, and raising funds to support Canuck Place Children’s Hospice.
Canuck Place is BC and the Yukon’s only pediatric palliative care provider, caring for 920 children with life-threatening illnesses and the families who love them.
Markus passed away at Canuck Place on May 29, 2022 from Metastatic Ewing Sarcoma. When his friends Carson, Marcus, Eric, Levi, James, and Lincoln visited him in the days before he passed Markus asked only one thing of his friends—to get a new set of rollerblades to play hockey on. In his words, “so you have something to do this summer other than watch your screens.”
And play hockey they did. For the past two years on the Saturday in July closest to Markus’ birthday, his friends have gathered their friends, family, and the Schouten family to play roller hockey and raise funds to support Canuck Place. They’ve raised over $60,000 and this year, on July 27 (what would have been Markus’ 21st birthday) they hope to raise $41,000 and bring their lifetime total to over $100,000.
“We’re so grateful for the care and guidance Canuck Place provided to Markus and his family,” Markus’ friends said in a statement. “This is a way we can give back and help other families in similar circumstances. It will also keep us connected—as we move on with our lives we’ll always have the tournament to bring us together and do some good.”
Markus’ friends
The tournament will take place from 9 am to 5 pm at 5840 Blackburn Road. Anyone interested in supporting their fundraiser can visit the fundraiser web page and make a donation.
You can learn more about Markus and his brave battle on his blog, On the Mark Maintenance, that was initially created to follow his adventure on becoming a landscaping entrepreneur and documented his cancer journey.
