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Cannon Falls community raises awareness for cancer at volleyball tournament – ABC 6 News
It was a special day in Cannon Falls, as the community rallied together to honor one of their own, who’s life was tragically cut short by melanoma cancer in 2023, with the 2nd annual Alex Hanson Volleyball Tournament.
(ABC 6 News) – It was a special day in Cannon Falls, as the community rallied together to honor one of their own, who’s life was tragically cut short by melanoma cancer in 2023, with the 2nd annual Alex Hanson Volleyball Tournament.
“It’s all in honor of him man, and that’s why we do it, cause we all love him so much and we just want to come out here and have fun in his honor,” said Philip Marklevits, Alex’s neighbor.
Family and friends of Alex were out Saturday celebrating his memory, in the way he would’ve wanted.
“I knew him for like 4 or 5 years, but we all get so close so fast, so it’s really nice to be able to just do something for him,” said Maddie Johnson, a friend of Alex’s.
“Alex was in a lot of sports. Twins, Vikings, you know, everything. I don’t really care much for a lot of sports so volleyball was the one thing that we had a lot in common,” said Mitchell Ryan, another one of Alex’s friends.
Everyone who knew Alex took the time to reflect on the impact he left on them..
“Alex means a lot to me. And I just come out here because he’d be out here playing to, if he was here with us so that’s why I do it,” said Marklevits.
The tournament wasn’t all games and laughter; it was also about raising awareness of the dreadful disease of Melanoma.
“Wear your sunscreen, get checked. If you see something off, that’s probably the biggest thing is people push off things, so yeah if you see something that doesn’t seem right, get checked out,” said Joe Conner, Alex’s Brother-In-Law.
Most importantly though, the day was about having fun and remembering the good times shared, even if Alex’s loved ones wish he could be playing right alongside of them.
“Everybody is so connected now, it’s nice to see everyone come together and actually supporting something,” said Johnson.
Organizers say that all proceeds this year will go to Cannon Falls and surrounding cities for places to escape the sun to further spread awareness on Melanoma.
11 teams participated in this years tournament and is expected to continue next year.
The event is open to the public. To sign up next year, you can look for a link on the Alex Hanson Volleyball tournament Facebook page.