In efforts to "Black Out" breast cancer, the Toronto Rock is pleased to announce Sunnybrook's Odette Cancer Centre as their charity of choice for their Black Out Breast Cancer charity game on Friday, April 2 when the Rock host the Calgary Roughnecks at the Air Canada Centre.

"Cancer is a disease that has touched so many lives. The Toronto Rock is happy to join forces with Sunnybrook Foundation in hopes to eliminate breast cancer," said Jamie Dawick, Toronto Rock President & Owner. "Holding a charity game is an interactive and fun way to give fans the opportunity to donate to a serious cause that affects so many."

The "Black Out" theme is a league-wide initiative, with each of the eleven teams hosting a special charity night between March 26 and April 3. The Toronto Rock players will sport a black charity jersey during the game on April 2.

"We are thrilled to be partnering with the Toronto Rock in an effort to ‘Black Out Breast Cancer'," said Jeff O'Hagan, senior vice-president of development at Sunnybrook Foundation. "With one in 10 women in Canada with breast cancer turning to Sunnybrook for treatment, our new Breast Cancer Research Centre will be the largest facility of its kind in Canada."

Projected to open in 2011, the new facility will provide doctors and scientists at Sunnybrook's Odette Cancer Centre with unparalleled facilities for research, diagnosis, treatment and teaching allowing women to receive care for every stage of their illness, from screening to clinical trial participation to relapse prevention.

The Rock has set a fundraising goal of $50,000 to fund an exam room at the new Sunnybrook Breast Cancer Research Centre. To help achieve this goal, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment will contribute $1 for each ticket sold for the April 2 game towards the Toronto Rock's overall donation for Sunnybrook Foundation.

Among other game-day opportunities to donate to the Rock's fundraising goal on April 2, fans can now get involved before the Charity Game with two new fundraising initiatives. An online auction at torontorock.com will be held starting Friday, March 12 featuring the game-worn charity jerseys the team will be wearing during the game on April 2. Fans can e-mail their bids to auction@torontorock.com anytime up until March 31.  Highest bidders will be invited onto the floor following the game that evening to claim their winning jerseys from the players. All proceeds from the Charity Jersey Auction to benefit Sunnybrook Foundation.

The Rock will also be drawing for up to five VIP Road Trip prizes with the entire team on a private charter to Philadelphia when they take on the Wings on April 3. Ballot entries are $25 each and will be accepted online until 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 25. 

Both the Charity jersey auction and VIP Road Trip entry pages and details can be found on the Toronto Rock website at www.torontorock.com.

About Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre

Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre is inventing the future of health care for the one million patients the hospital cares for each year through the dedication of its more than 10,000 staff and volunteers. Internationally recognized leadership in research and education and a full affiliation with the University of Toronto distinguish Sunnybrook as one of Canada's premier academic health sciences centres. Sunnybrook specializes in caring for Canada's war veterans, high-risk pregnancies, critically-ill newborns, adults and the elderly, and treating and preventing cancer, cardiovascular disease, neurological disorders, orthopaedic and arthritic conditions and traumatic injuries.