Come Support CancerCare with Legos at 'Blocks of Love'

When it comes to toy box staples, who doesn’t love Legos? Generations of kids have used the shiny, tiny, brightly- colored plastic blocks to create airplanes, trucks, Harry Potter’s Hogwarts, SpongeBob’s Pineapple—or in my case, usually just a big square house.

Over the next few weeks, a local nonprofit is using the time-honored toys to bring support to families coping with cancer. It’s called “Blocks of Love” and it’s an annual event run by CancerCare’s Connecticut office.

The concept is pretty simple. Participants sign up as a “builder”, which can be done individually or as a team. Next, builders pick up a Lego kit of their choice from the CancerCare office in Norwalk. Builders then get sponsors for their project and all donations go directly toward providing free services like workshops and counseling to local families and individuals affected by cancer.

From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 17, builders display their completed Lego masterpieces in the Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport at a very special Lego art gallery. There is no competition or judging with the “Blocks of Love” event—just mutual respect and admiration for everyone’s skill and creativity. A Lego love-fest!

While the day is fun and lighthearted by design, Regional Director of CancerCare, Sandra Tripodi, says the event provides a unique way for kids, especially, to start to process a really tough topic.

“This event is really about community—families helping families,” Tripodi said. “Kids, parents, students, teachers, friends and neighbors—everyone—can get together because everyone has been affected by this disease and can help others.”

The event will also feature a number of other fun, family-friendly activities like live music, arts and crafts stations, smaller, softer block stations for the younger kids —and more.

And guess what? They need volunteers! CancerCare says they could use literally dozens of volunteers to help with the event. They will need help the day before (Nov. 16) and event day (Nov. 17)—everything from setup, registration and check-in to arts and crafts supervision, play area supervision and clean up. To get involved, give CancerCare a call at 203.854.9911.

To learn more about CancerCare and “Blocks of Love” visit their website, www.cancercare.org/blocks. We hope to see you there. The VolunteerSquare Builders will be assembling a Lego White House so be sure to stop by, check it out and say hello.

If this particular event isn’t for you, there are plenty of other ways to get involved with CancerCare—or any of the other agencies we support – by logging on to VolunteerSquare.com. Be sure to sign up for our free e-alerts that will keep you up-to-date on volunteer opportunities that match your unique skills and interests.