'Blades to Unveil Blackout Jersey on Monday at Ford's Garage

ESTERO, FL – The Florida Everblades will be holding a specialty jersey unveiling event this Monday (April 3) from 4-6 p.m. at Ford’s Garage located at Miromar Outlets in Estero.  The event is open to the media and to the public.  Several Everblades players will be on hand to meet with fans and sign autographs.

These special jerseys will be worn by the team during the April 8th Blackout  game against the Orlando Solar Bears at 7:00 p.m.  The jerseys will be auctioned off following the game to benefit the Passion Foundation.

The Passion Foundation is a local cause that raises funds to cover playgrounds with shade tents to decrease the sun exposure of children.  The structures can black out 96% of harmful UV rays and lower the temperature 15-20 degrees underneath.  The purpose is to help mitigate melanoma by providing shade while children play.   Nearly 23-percent of sun damage in children is done by the time they are 18 years old. Therefore combating this issue early can bring that number down.

The Passion Foundation was co-founded by Jon Parla, who lost his wife Tara to skin and other cancers caused by melanoma.

"The Passion Foundation is very excited to partner with the Everblades for our 3rd annual Blackout game,” said Parla. “This is a great way for us to generate awareness about the foundation and safety in the sun. Just as Tara said, ‘if we can prevent one child from battling melanoma like she did, we have done our job.’ This is another way of us doing our job!”

The proceeds from the jersey auction will be directly donated to the Passion Foundation and to help raise money to build another playground shade structure.

“We are once again proud to be able to help benefit such a great cause,” said Everblades Vice President of Business Development Chris Palin. “The Black Out jerseys are one of the most popular jersey concepts the team does each season, and we believe our fans will really like this year’s design.”

The April 8 Blackout is also Fan Appreciation Night!  Fans will receive a FREE Everblades team photo courtesy of FGCU and a FREE rally card courtesy of the Naples Daily News. Fans will also receive a valuable giveaway from Wawa!. The annual team awards ceremony will take place prior to the game!Ticket InformationGame Tickets: Everblades tickets may be purchased at the Florida Community Bank Box Office located at Germain Arena, or at any Ticketmaster outlet, or online atwww.ticketmaster.comPlayoff Tickets Now on Sale:  Playoff ticket packages and single game tickets for Playoff Game A & B are currently on sale.  Playoff package may be purchased through the team's administrative offices located at Germain Arena or by calling 239-948-7825.  Single game tickets for Games A & B may be purchased at the Florida Community Bank Box Office or online by CLICKING HERE

Discounted Group Tickets: Bring your group of 10 or more to a game at a discounted price, and you may also receive an Everblades souvenir! Group tickets are available for all home games. For more information on group tickets, call 239-948-7825.

This release courtesy of Fort Myers Technical College & Cape Coral Technical College

The Everblades are the proud ECHL affiliateof the NHL's Carolina Hurricanes###