Family Video hosts weekends of fun for lymphoma donation campaign

By Kathryn Menue
Editor
BELVIDERE – Family Video in Belvidere, in accordance with other businesses and organizations around the country, are once again raising awareness for lymphoma research by participating in the Round It Up Campaign.
For two weeks and three weekends, Belvidere Family Video has joined the campaign where all of their proceeds from March 11 through March 27 will go to the Lymphoma Research Foundation (LRF) and the Lymphoma Biobank at the University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center.
For the past four years, the Belvidere Family Video (and all other Family Video branches across the country) has participated in this fundraising event. With the aid of other organizations in the Round It Up Campaign, $4.6 million have been raised for lymphoma research.
For year five, Belvidere Family Video is kicking it up a notch to not only raise money for lymphoma, but to give back to the Belvidere/Boone County community as well.
The community fun began on Friday, March 11 and rolled into the afternoon of Saturday, March 12, for a Kid’s Carnival weekend, at Belvidere Family Video, located at 105 W. Harrison St. in Belvidere. The carnival was held from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday and noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday.
The Kid’s Carnival consisted of kids participating in “simple, little games” like Bozo Bucket and fishing for prizes according to Belvidere Family Video Assistant Manager Maria Rhodes.
March 18 through March 20, the fun will continue at Belvidere Family Video with a Safety Weekend.
On Saturday and Sunday, Family Video will host firefighters and police officers at their store where the service men and women will teach children safety tips.
The event will also allow children to explore police cars and fire trucks under the supervision of Belvidere/Boone County firefighters and police officers.
Certified firefighters will also be available for car seat checks to ensure that all children are safe and secure on the roadways.
On the final weekend of Saturday, March 26 through March 27, Family Video will host a game tournament.
Rent-A-Center kindly donated a television for the weekend where gamers could compete in a gaming battle to win top prizes.
The gaming competition will begin on Saturday with a Call of Duty battle at 11 a.m. The competition will start with the easy level competition from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Then, there will be a break from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m., where anyone can command the television sets to play Guitar Hero or Just Dance.
From 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., the tournament will recommence with the medium level gamers.
On Sunday, the competition will start-up again from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The tournament will pick up with the qualifiers from day-one competing in Call of Duty Black Ops III. Day II of the tournament will consist of two hours of the easy competition and two hours of the medium-hard competition.
The winners will receive gift baskets created by the employees of Family Video.
If you are interested in entering the competition, sign-up now at the Belvidere Family Video, located at 105 W. Harrison St. The entry fee is $10, which will go to the LRF.
Rhodes said the weekend events will “help bring in donation funds for a great cause.”