Rockland Charity Dart League

The Rockland Charity Dart League was founded in the 1996 as a Summer League only and expanded to year round operation following the summer of 1998. The League is dedicated to promoting Darts in Rockland County and raising money through it's players for Charity.
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Currently operating with 20 - 24 teams each season and a player membership of around 200, the League is run by an all volunteer staff of four officers. We have always preferred to support local children's charities. Taking suggestions from our players, we try to determine the best area charities to support as well as which causes hit closer to home here in Rockland County and with the membership of our League.
Our accomplishments are only as good as our membership and we have worked hard to build a League that is fun and fair as well as competitive. We have evolved over the seasons creating a customized stat program and web page to better serve our existing players and teams and to attract new membership into the League. Our players range from the beginner on up and we have teams divided into 4 conferences based on experience and ability. We encourage local taverns and restaurants to participate, helping with board placement and playing area setup. We schedule the games so each establishment can benefit from the extra business on Tuesday evenings. At the end of each season we hold a trophy dinner at a participating establishment where we give out awards for individual and team achievements and present a selected charity with the donations raised from our players.
It is our sincere goal that all those in the Rockland County area who are interested in playing darts will find The Rockland Charity Dart League an enjoyable experience.

Let's Play


Winter League 2003-2004 Charity
Donations to be made at the Trophy Dinner april 6, 2004 at The Nyack River Club
During past seasons the Rockland Charity Dart League has donated to local and individual causes that we felt were appropriate considering the types of charities we have supported over the years. This year we heard of the case of a little boy named John Noone living here in Rockland County. John was brought to our attention by one of our teams and after meeting with his parents we decided that this year we would donate to help him with a difficult and expensive treatment for a rare disease. Since one of our choices for this season's charity was an organization that provides some support for John we felt a donation directly to John and his family would not only be more substantial but would allow our league to personally see the benefits of our donation within the Rockland Community.

John Noone, Diagnosed with Stage IV Neuroblastoma on May 23, 2003.
This is a letter from John's Parents to the Rockland Charity Dart League:

Dear Members:

On May 1, 2003 our then 22 month old son John began to limp. After taking him to two doctors and a misdiagnosis of transient synovitis, a third doctor diagnosed him on May 23, 2003 with Stage IV Neuroblastoma. It is a rare pediatric cancer of the sympathetic nervous system. With the conventional treatment the survival rate is approximately 33%. After much research into our options we decided to enroll him in a pilot study under the care of Dr. Darrell Yarnashiro at Babies and Children's Hospital of New York Presbyterian.

The treatment for this disease is grueling. It required him to have 2 rounds of chemotherapy followed by the harvesting of his stem cells for use at a future date. He then received 2 more rounds of chemotherapy. This was followed by surgery to remove the primary tumor from his left adrenal gland. After he recovered from surgery he received 2 more rounds of chemotherapy.

On November 6, 2003 he received an autologuos stem cell transplant. This is the process of giving him back his own stem cells which were previously harvested from him. On January 28, 2004 he received a second stem cell transplant. These stem cells were taken from our 4 year old daughter and given to him in hopes of creating a new immune system to kill any remaining recurrent cancer cells. This is known as allogenic stem cell transplant. It requires him to be isolated for 100 days.

After his recovery from the second transplant he will need approximately 10 radiation treatments. This will be followed by about 5 months of immunotherapy which requires him to be seen at the hospital clinic one or two days per week.

To date John has responded well and tolerated his treatment exceptionally well. With a lot of science and a lot of prayers and a little luck we are hopeful he will continue to get stronger and ultimately be cured.

Sincerest Regards
John an Diane Noone


What is neuroblastoma?

Neuroblastoma is a children’s cancer diagnosed in approximately 500 to 1,000 children per year in the USA. Neuroblastoma is a complex tumor of the sympathetic nervous system, a condition that has been known for 35 years. Its frequency is second only to brain tumors and it is seldom seen in children over 14 years old.

The median age for tumor discovery is two years, and it occurs somewhat more in boys than girls. Like most cancers, its cause is unknown. It is extremely difficult to diagnose in small children, and once diagnosed, its progression is often rapid, and very painful. Although neuroblastoma accounts for only 8% of all cancers, it is responsible for over 15% of the deaths.

The disease is diagnosed from stage I (a localized tumor confined to one organ or area of organ) to stage IV (solid tumors that have spread to several organs or parts of the body). Depending on the stage of the disease, treatment may be limited to tumor removal surgery, or may be as extensive as tumor removal surgery combined with chemotherapy, radiation, and bone marrow transplants.

In most cases, children with neuroblastoma are not diagnosed until Stage IV, when, until recently, long-term survival rates stood at a dismal 20% or less. However, encouraging developments in treatment and research are helping children to be diagnosed earlier, and to have increased chances of survival.

Diagnosis of Neuroblastoma

The two most important factors in the prognosis for a child with neuroblastoma are the stage of the disease and the age of the child at the time of diagnosis. For all stages, infants less than one year old have a much better chance for remission and survival than older children. Early diagnosis is one of our best weapons in the war against neuroblastoma.

Often, neuroblastoma is first discovered when parents or a physician feel a mass or tumor somewhere in the child's body. Sometimes the child shows no outward symptoms, and sometimes symptoms resemble those of many more common childhood illnesses, such as bruising, mild flu symptoms, diarrhea, and loss of appetite.

More acute symptoms can include bone pain, hypertension, anemia, skin nodules, a pronounced limp, or a refusal to walk.

Pediatricans can order a simple, non-invasive 24 hour urine test, which is nearly 100% accurate in detecting neuroblastoma cancer. Also, ultrasound, CT scans, and MRI scans can effectively detect neuroblastoma-related tumors.

Click here to learn more about children with this disease that you can help.