Oak Grove Lutheran to Host 23rd Annual Volleyball Marathon for Charity

23rd annual volleyball marathon—Oak Grove Volley 2011—will kick off at noon and last until midnight Saturday. The marathon will raise money for three local charities:

• Camp Friendship: A Friendship Ventures location that serves developmentally disabled kids, teens and adults.
• Our Savior's Shelter: A place that provides meals and overnight stays to homeless residents in the Minneapolis Phillips neighborhood.
• Sharing and Caring Hands (Mary's Place): An organization that promotes volunteerism and serves the poor and others in need with meals, housing options and other services.

The 12-hour continuous games will will be played in the church's gym where players will rotate in and out, according to Gordon Hanson, Richfield resident and marathon participant.

"The event started as an activity for young adults at the church. Twenty-three years later, there are still original players from the very first volleyball marathons," Hanson said in an e-mail. "[Now] a lot of the kids of the original players have grown up and now play alongside their parents."

All are welcome to participate for a portion of the day or the entire 12 hours. For more information about the charities, see the attached event flyer.