PHOENIX — On Sunday hundreds of people spent the day skating, running, and walking for an amazing cause, the third annual Skatin’ for Leighton at Sun Devil Stadium.
The event brought out a big crowd, all in honor of Leighton Accardo, a beautiful nine-year-old girl who passed away after her long battle with cancer in 2020.
“She always found the silver lining, she would say oh my hair fell out, but it’s just hair, it’ll grow back,” Leighton's mom Carly Accardo said.
Carly Accardo will always remember Leighton as someone who lived life to the fullest.
“As a vibrant, happy, spirited, amazing child with a tremendous heart,” she said.
Leighton had a passion for sports, especially hockey. In fact, her love for the sport and the Coyotes led to her being inducted into the Coyotes Ring of Honor in 2021. Her dad Jeremy Accardo will never forget what she told the team.
“Skate hard and have fun,” he said. “That day where she signed the contract and she spoke to the team, that’s what she said and it just kind of stuck.”
Now in its third year, the Skatin’ for Leighton event continues to keep her memory alive.
“As parents, we couldn’t be prouder of the impact she’s had,” Leighton's dad said.
The event, a fundraiser for girls’ youth hockey in Arizona, is led by radio analyst and President of the Arizona Kachinas Lyndsey Fry.
“Year one I did it by myself and I skated at every single rink in the valley,” she said. “It was like over 100 miles, it was crazy, it’s a spiritual experience to be out here to be thinking about her and just to take a second to reflect.”
Skatin' for Leighton provides focused time to remember a little girl that continues to inspire so many, while raising money to help girls like Leighton have an opportunity to play the sport they love too.
“It’s amazing,” said Fry. “I mean, look at her face up in Sun Devil Stadium, it’s unbelievable.”
The event continues to grow in Leighton’s honor every year.
“There really aren’t any words, because just the amount of people that have come out to support and remember Leighton, it’s amazing,” her mom Carly Accardo added.
Last year’s event at Phoenix Raceway helped raise $100,000 dollars for the Leighton Accardo Memorial Scholarship Fund.
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