Since the Dublin City School District started its annual dodgeball championship in 2008, it has raised more than $45,000 for local causes.

This year, the April 5 championship sponsored by the Superintendent's Student Advisory Committee will benefit the Dublin Special Olympics program.

"This event has a history of helping those in need in our community," Superintendent David Axner said in a news release.

"The members of my student committee have done the work identifying the beneficiaries of this year's tournament.

"We hope the entire community will turn out to support these efforts and for a night of friendly competition."

The Dublin Special Olympics program was created last fall to give athletes with developmental disabilities a local program.

The year-round sports training and competition program is funded by donations.

The inaugural dodgeball championships raised money for a Jerome High School sophomore battling Burkitt's lymphoma and leukemia.

Other groups that have benefited from the event over the years include the Dublin Education Foundation, student and staff families dealing with serious illnesses and the Lyndsey Rice and Kyle Colello Memorial Scholarship Fund.

The memorial fund, created after two Scioto High School students died in a car accident in 2009, also will benefit from this year's contest.

The entrance fee per team is $25, but the central office/ Board of Education team is challenging other adult teams to donate more.

Teams can have six to 10 players, with six players on the court at one time.

The tournament will be a single-elimination competition with five divisions: elementary, middle school, high school girls, high school boys and adults.

One student team will be accepted per elementary and middle school, and the teams can be co-ed.

Four girls and four boys teams will be accepted per high school.

The winning team will receive a traveling trophy.

To register for the April 5 Dublin City Schools Dodgeball Championships, email info@dublinschools.net by March 22.

The tournament will be open to the public and admission is $5.

Event shirts can be ordered through the Jerome Business Academy at dublinschools.net/ dodgeball.aspx.