A colour explosion will occur tomorrow (August 5) all in the name of a great cause.

The 5thannual Shooting for a Cause will provide heart-thumping action as participants avoid being paint bombed by their opposition in an epic paintball war.

Feeling the slight sting of a paintball will be quickly forgotten though, knowing a good portion of the day’s proceeds supports families who have a critically/terminally ill child. The non-profit foundation, Helping Families Handle Cancer strives to help families balance care for a sick child while keeping their day to day lives afloat.

Rick Pearson, Event Coordinator for Capture The Flag Paintball and Airsoft says they created the event roughly six years ago after hearing of a cancer charity paintball game across the border and decided to start their own. Knowing they wanted to support a cancer initiative, partnering with Carie Stock, Founder of the grassroots charity, seemed like the perfect fit. “I was wowed. Giving monetary aid to families instead of it going somewhere else seemed pretty honourable and we went from there. Our first one raised just about $3800 and last year we raised $7100 in one day. It's definitely gone up and received a lot more attention, we even have have people flying out from Ontario to attend."

If you have never paintballed, this is a great opportunity.

Pearson shares over their five-year history the event has fluctuated in fundraising totals and attendees depending on what Mother Nature throws at them. "I think our first event we had about 200 people signed up on our Facebook page but we only got about 90 to 95 players where we have seen up to 190 in previous events."

If you have never paintballed before, Pearson says no problem. "It starts at 9 am with registration and it's open to all field levels of players whether you've never played before or you playing pro to everyone in between. We split up teams accordingly so that new players play alongside guys with a lot of skill level; it's a great way to rub shoulders, get into the sport and meet a lot of fun people."

You are not required to preregister but you can RSVP through their Facebook event page found HERE or call 403-932-9510.

Besides a portion of the proceeds from the event being donated attendees can also bid on auction items, raffles and buy merchandise where all proceeds will go towards Helping Families Handle Cancer. In the history of the event, Capture the Flag has raised a total of $18,737 and are hoping to reach $25,000 this year.

If you would like to learn more about the amazing grassroots charity, go HERE. A list of what the event includes is listed below.

  • Entry Fee $30 for those renting gear includes; all day play, unlimited hot dog BBQ & all equipment including level 3 upgrade marker, camo, mask, chest protector, barrel bag, unlimited air fills. Or use your own gear and entry is $20.
  • Paintballs, 500 balls = $25 or 2000 balls (case) = $80. Premium paint available at $5 extra per 500 balls or $10 extra for a case. First Strike Rounds will be available on-site. (Absolutely no outside paint allowed)