MOONBALL is an annual kickball tournament and family fun day held in Dobbs Ferry, NY, organized by friends of the Moon family. The 2024 Moonball Family Fun Day is Saturday, November 2, at The Dobbs Ferry Waterfront.

There’s something for everyone to enjoy at the 2024 Moonball Family Fun Day, Nov. 5, 2023, in Dobbs Ferry, NY. During the 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. event, there will be a bounce house, the bubble bus, fairy hair, games and prizes, face painting, music, and more.

Among the event’s annual festivities and activities is a “Buddy Ball Game,” a game that includes people of all abilities. Each participant is paired with a buddy to support them throughout the game.

The 2024 Moonball Family Fun Day will also include balloon art, food, and a visit from the local fire department. All in honor of Jacob Moon, a local boy who has Sanfilippo Syndrome, and Cure Sanfilippo Foundation. The ultimate goal of the event is to help “kick Sanfilippo to the moon!” by supporting the Moon family and the Foundation’s efforts to find a cure for Sanfilippo Syndrome.

Sanfilippo Syndrome is like Alzheimer’s, but in children. It is a terminal, degenerative disease that causes children to lose all the skills they’ve gained, suffer seizures and movement disorders, experience pain and suffering, dementia, and then die usually in their teen years. Sanfilippo Syndrome is caused by a single gene defect which leads to lack of a necessary enzyme in the body. This lack of enzyme results in the build-up of toxic storage in every cell, and is especially harmful to the brain. This build-up causes a cascade of detrimental effects and ultimately death. Currently there is no FDA-approved treatment or cure for Sanfilippo Syndrome.

Children are born with Sanfilippo Syndrome, but it is invisible until they start exhibiting developmental delays or regression in their early years. Early symptoms of Sanfilippo Syndrome are often: speech delays, frequent ear infections, poor sleep, “Autistic” behaviors, and hyperactivity. Many children with Sanfilippo Syndrome are first diagnosed with Autism before finding that the underlying reason for the Autistic symptoms is Sanfilippo.

Register for 2024 Moonball at: https://www.jacobmoonball.com/