At any age, amputees and individuals born with limb loss or limb difference face many challenges. But children in America often face additional obstacles when seeking prosthetics and therapy due to a decreased likelihood that their family's insurance will cover the cost. Nonprofit organization Iron Leg Corp. seeks to provide support for children in Lancaster County who are in need of assistance with obtaining prosthetics.

Iron Leg is one of the few organizations of its kind, and it will hold an equally unique fundraising event on Saturday, Aug. 3, at Biemesderfer Stadium, 45 Pucillo Drive, Millersville. The event will begin at 7 p.m., and it will entail full-contact football games for individuals above the age of 34 and amputees who are 18 or older. Registration is available online for residents in any part of Lancaster County, and the football teams will be helmed by both former and current coaches from several local school districts, including Donegal, Hempfield, Solanco and Penn Manor.

Practices for the game will begin at the end of May; exact dates and additional information will be announced by Iron Leg once they are available. The registration fee will include equipment such as a uniform, a helmet and shoulder pads. Players are required to bring a seven-pad girdle and turf cleats. To register online, visit https://ironleg.org/interest-form.

The primary goal of the fundraiser is to acquire the resources that allow Iron Leg to provide financial support and to purchase prosthetics for children with limb loss or limb difference. Due to how quickly children outgrow prosthetics, insurance often will not cover the cost; if it does, it typically only allows the child to obtain a basic prosthetic that is unsuited for physical activities such as playing sports or hiking. "Most of the time, insurance companies won't pay for a $30,000 leg if the kid is going to grow out of it in within two years," said Iron Leg co-founder Matt Millhouse. "But the thing is, that means the kids miss out on being more active. A basic leg will allow them to walk, but to us that's not good enough. A kid can run track and field with a good leg."

In addition to raising funds for children in the community, the goal of Iron Leg's fundraiser is to give football players an opportunity to play one more game under the lights of the Millersville Marauders' stadium. Not only do Millhouse and fellow Iron Leg co-founder Sean Laukhuff hope to engage adults who want to stay active and enjoy a full-contact football match, but they also see the fundraiser as an opportunity for players' children and grandchildren to see them out on the field.

"It was really cool to see the comradery among the coaches when we had our first meeting," Laukhuff said. "When they coached for their school districts, they were always playing against each other. But now they're on the same team, and they're excited to plan out their plays and strategies."

Sponsorship opportunities are available on Iron Leg's website. To purchase a ticket to spectate the game, visit http://www.717shows.com/events/iron-leg-football-game.