Last modified: Monday, April 14, 2008 1:02 AM EDT

Foxboro skateboard event to help fight arthritis in kids

FOXBORO - Sarah Appleby and Colleen Deely want skateboarders and BMX bike riders to compete here next month so that fewer kids feel pain.

The May 4 BMX Bike and Skateboard Tournament at the Foxboro Skatepark will benefit juvenile rheumatoid arthritis research and awareness. The registration fee is $10.

Team Foxboro, a group of Foxboro families dealing with the disease, will present the proceeds at the 2009 Boston Arthritis Walk.

Appleby, a Foxboro High School sophomore, and Deely, an Ahern Middle School fifth-grader, presented the event plans to selectmen last week. Both students have the disease.

The board of recreation and the Arthritis Foundation are presenting the contest, scheduled for 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 4.

There is no rain date, Recreation Director Debbie Giardino said.

BMX registration will start at 9 a.m., and skateboard registration at 10 a.m.

A U.S. Army recruiting office will provide a rock climbing wall and a humvee.

A DJ will provide music.