This is a very special month for our Minor Hockey Association. September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and our youth have stepped up to go above and beyond, doing their part to help raise funds and support for this cause which is very close to our hearts.
Our Minor Bantam AA group, organized a "Loonies for Lucy" campaign at each of their home games this month and will be teaming up with the Minor Midget AA team to host a special fundraising evening at the CCC on Friday, September 27th.
The Bantam AE, Midget AA and Minor Peewee AA teams will also be hosting an Awareness Evening on Saturday, September 28th.
Be sure to head to the arena and help support these teams with their amazing community minded endeavour.
The Atom AA team kicked off our organizations efforts by setting up to collect donations at each of their home games this month.
While the team takes to the ice, with their gold taped sticks, the siblings man the table and greet all visitors to the arena with their collection pail, posters and information about Childhood Cancer.
This weekend, our Atom AE team contributed to the important cause with a special home game against the Belleville Bulls.
This team contacted the Belleville Bulls and explained to them that they were going to have a special "Go for Gold" game and that they were going to be collecting "Loonies for Lucy".
In true, amazing sportsmanship, the Belleville team wanted to help! Not only did they bring gifts for Lucy and a stick signed by all of their players, their parents generously donated to the group of sweet sisters that canvassed the stands asking for Loonies. This amazing Belleville Atom AE team also gave the team an authentic, signed Claude Giroux jersey that they will use to raise additional funds.
Kudos to Belleville for your generosity and support, your kindness speaks volumes about your families, coaching staff and organization as a whole.
The spirit of our players is nothing short of incredible. All of the Nighthawks remember Grace Bowen, our sweet faced, WNGHA hockey superstar. Her memory and dynamic spirit is very much alive and a big motivating force behind all Childhood Cancer Awareness and Fundraising that is done.
Our own Nighthawk, Jack Bradimore just underwent brain surgery to finally blast his cancerous "planet" into space. We are all praying for a speedy and remarkable recovery for Jack and look forward to our net minder getting back in between the pipes.
Our hockey community also learned about 6year old Lucy VanLaar and her battle with Kidney Cancer. This little girl is not a hockey player, she isn't a sibling of a hockey player, I'm not even sure if she likes hockey - but it doesn't matter! Hockey players, and hockey families know that cancer is horrible and that Childhood Cancer is the epitome of unfair. Our teams have joined forces to help level the playing field against this relentless disease - with an increase in funds and awareness, hopefully one day cancer affecting our friends, families and teammates will become a thing of the past!