The
Novice AA Tigers team started hunting for abandoned pucks throughout the
different rinks they played at while competing in the Preston International
Hockey Tournament in mid-January. Hunting for pucks has become a regular team occurrence
for this group of eight year old boys, but over this past weekend, it
transformed into an opportunity with much deeper meaning, extending beyond this
group of hockey players and their respective hockey families.
This group of boys conferred in dressing rooms and throughout the hotel's hallways, deciding that they would sell the pucks they had collected and donate the proceeds to charity. They unanimously claimed their love for hockey and couldn't imagine what life would be like without hockey. Most importantly, that every child should be able to experience "hockey and all that it brings". This generous group of boys didn't want money to impose a barrier for those families that struggle financially to be the reason a child did not get to experience the game of hockey.
Once back at their home rinks, the boys started to execute their plan efficiently by channelling their abundant energy. They began hustling around the rinks asking people to support the cause and buy a puck from them. Their endeavour to raise money from the pucks they had collected became real with the kind gesture of a generous stranger as she donated $100 to their cause. She, too, believed that every child should have the opportunity to experience hockey.
In less than a week the boys have raised over $275 and they have set a goal to raise $1,000.
For anyone who has already been approached by the boys at the rink, thank you for your support. For anyone interested in supporting this initiative created by the Novice AA Tiger players, please contact Pina Blakley: [email protected] or Emily Stewart: [email protected].