Islanders Legend Pat LaFontaine To Join Farmingdale Runner's Edge Race For Cause

FARMINGDALE, NY — The 21st Annual Runner's Edge Main Street Mile is scheduled for Saturday in Farmingdale.

Proceeds will benefit nearby children's hospitals through New York Islanders legend Pat LaFontaine's charity, Companions in Courage Foundation. LaFontaine is set to attend the festivities.

The women’s race is scheduled for 9:15 a.m., followed by the men at 9:40 a.m. A Kid’s Fun Run (1/4-mile) is slated for 8:30 a.m. Trophies and cash awards are on the line, followed by a post-race celebration — $15 — at The Tap Room. People can register for the Runner's Edge race here.

The Companions in Courage Foundation was founded by NHL Hall of Famer Pat LaFontaine in 1997. The 501(c)(3) charitable organization creates interactive playrooms and recently served its one millionth patient in children’s hospitals throughout North America — and "especially here on Long Island," according to the charity. Through innovative communications tools, these playrooms replace the isolation of a hospital with a connection to family, friends and celebrities during each hospital stay.

Local hospitals the Companions in Courage Foundation works with include Cohen Children’s Medical Center, Stony Brook Children’s Hospital, Huntington Hospital, Good Samaritan Hospital, and Mount Sinai at South Nassau in Oceanside.

"When the Farmingdale High School Band suffered that catastrophic accident in Orange County last year, many students were treated at Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital in Westchester," the charity wrote. "We sent a dozen stuffed lion toys to them overnight to 'fill hearts with courage and love.'"

The charity's "Lion’s Den" rooms were designed by Edwin Schlossberg and his renowned ESI Design team in New York City. The charity is supported by Microsoft Corporation, Google and Cisco Systems, and others.

"Our mission is quite simple," the charity wrote. "No child in the fight for life or health should ever have to go through it alone."