The Drive Out Cancer Challenge has been held in Augusta and Gardiner the last two summers. Next week, something similar will take place in Waterville.

Four high school field hockey teams — Mt. Blue, Nokomis, Skowhegan and Winslow — will play in a round-robin at Colby College in the Battle for Breast Cancer. The games will benefit victims of cancer at the Martha B. Webber Breast Care Center, which is part of Franklin Memorial Hospital in Farmington.

The games will be played from 3:30 to 8:30 p.m., Friday at Colby. Admission is $5 for adults and $2 for students. In the event of rain, the games will be moved to July 23.

Skowhegan coach Paula Doughty said she came up with the idea after talking with Gardiner coach Moe McNally about the Drive Out Cancer Challenge. Doughty said her team recently toured the Webber Center.

“It had a big impact on the kids,” Doughty said.

As for the other teams, Doughty said she chose Mt. Blue because the center is in Farmington, and wanted to also include Jay and Livermore Falls.

“They’re going through a consolidation, and it’s just not the right time,” Doughty said.

Doughty said Nokomis coach Katie Thompson and Winslow coach Mary Beth Bourgoin were both excited to have their teams at the event. Skowhegan and Nokomis are both defending state champions in their respective classes.

The money raised will be used for working people who have been diagnosed with breast cancer at the Webber Center and are un-insured or under-insured, said Jill Gray, the communications and marketing manager for Franklin Memorial Hospital. Gray is also Doughty’s sister-in-law.

Several businesses and people have already donated to the event. Doughty said Colby is providing the field for free, and the game officials are donating their time. Each team will have a table at the game selling things like drinks, ice cream, hot dogs and hamburgers and snacks. All of those food items will be donated as well.

“Anybody we’ve asked, they’ve just said, ‘Sure. What do you need?’ ” Doughty said. “Whether they can give $5 or $200, I’ve just found people to be really generous.”

The Lakewood Ladies Association will be hosting a golf tournament for the same cause. That tournament is July 28 at Lakewood Golf Course in Skowhegan. The cost is $25 per person and includes lunch, and is for ladies only. Golfers will compete in teams of four.

“We actually have a lot of women in our association who are breast cancer survivors,” said Peggy Gifford, who is organizing the tournament. “If somebody wants to play and they don’t have a team, we’ll place them on a team.”

Gifford said there will be raffles with prizes like greens fees and Boston Red Sox tickets. To enter the tournament, golfers can pick up an application at Lakewood or e-mail Gifford at peggygifford@gmail.com.

People who cannot attend the field hockey games or participate in the golf tournament but still wish to donate can do so through the Franklin Community Health Network website at http://www.fchn.org/support.

Matt DiFilippo — 861-9243

mdifilippo@centralmaine.com

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