Manitowoc United Hockey is looking to support the family of one of the players.
Claudia Klein, the mother of Defenseman David Klein, has been battling Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase, more commonly referred to as Non-Smoker’s Lung Cancer.
To support her battle, United will be hosting a benefit at its home opener on Friday, where the Varsity squad will face Shawano at 5:30 p.m., and the JV will play Fond du Lac at 7:30 p.m.
Fellow parent Chloe Cigler tells us they have a lot planned for the evening.
“We’re going to forgo admission prices and said to ask for donations at the door to support her,” she explained. “We’ve got raffle baskets, we’ve got a bake sale going on, and we’ll do 5050 raffles during both the varsity and J.V. game.”
Claudia may or may not be at the game, as she was recently accepted to participate in a new clinical trial, which has her traveling out of state for treatment.
The idea to host a benefit was an easy one for all involved, as hockey families grow very close over their players’ youth careers.
“We’ve grown up with David playing in our hockey team since our kids were probably all first and second grade,” Cigler recalled. “I mean, I remember David from being a little guy, and his dad was out there on the ice helping all of our kids. Claudia was always in the stands, cheering on and smiling, and just such a positive light and just somebody that is always a joy to be around.”
Manitowoc Hockey as a whole is a very giving group, as last year, the youth and high school programs helped raise money for a young boy named Silas as he continues his battle against cancer.
The Manitowoc Lincoln Pep Band will be on hand, at least for the Varsity game, and all who attend are asked to dress in white, as that is the color assigned to this specific type of cancer.
