Dec. 18 2007/- They shoot, they score! The 7,000 players and family members of the Kids 4 Kids Hockey Tournament have pledged $125,000 to University Hospitals Kingston Foundation to support hospital redevelopment projects for seriously ill children in Southeastern Ontario.

“We are thrilled that Kids 4 Kids are supporting our hospitals with a five year pledge to redevelopment. We appreciate all the help they have provided over the history of the tournament and look forward to working together for better health care for our children in the future,” said Roger Wright, Chair of the University Hospitals Kingston Foundation.

The five year pledge will support the expansion of the Pediatric Inpatient Unit at KGH and the creation of a designated children’s clinic in an expanded and renovated Cancer Centre of Southeastern Ontario at KGH.

The new Pediatric Inpatient Unit will increase in size from 22 to 25 beds and will be designed to address the emotional, physical and developmental needs of children, including private rooms and a large playroom. The unit will have designated pediatric intensive care beds to help ensure critically ill children do not have to be sent out of region for care. The new area for children’s oncology services in the expanded Cancer Centre will include pediatric exam rooms, treatment space and a large, well-equipped playroom for patients and their siblings.

The Kids 4 Kids Hockey Tournament has had a significant economic impact in the Kingston area with $2.25-million annually, with 7,000 hockey players and family, and over 150 volunteers per year participating in the tournament, making it tournament the most successful in Eastern Ontario in raising money for local charities.