Punter maver honoured for Community service
Longtime Stamps’ punter earns Harrison Memorial Award for Crohn’s and Colitis fundraising and other community service
Rob Maver knows what it means to win the Herm Harrison Memorial Award.
He’s been around the Calgary Stampeders since before the end-of-season award recognizing outstanding involvement in community service was first presented in 2013, after all.
So he knows all about Harrison’s contributions to the Calgary community, and knows that when it was announced that he won the 2018 award on Friday he had an opportunity to speak about the causes he’s devoted so much of his off-the-field time to this year.
“It’s a great way to honour Herm’s legacy every single year and be reminded of all the things he did, not just here on the field but especially in the community here as well,” Maver said. “And it’s a tremendous opportunity to gain more exposure for (Crohn’s and Colitis Canada). That’s why I do everything I do, just to get the word out.”
Maver hasn’t just got the word out for Crohn’s and Colitis Canada, he’s also helped raise a lot of money for the organization.
This year, the Stamps punter co-chaired the Rob Maver Guts N Glory flag football tournament in September, helping to raise $44,000. That was double what the tournament raised in its inaugural year, and Maver’s role in planning the event involved making facility arrangements at McMahon Stadium, establishing media partnerships, fundraising and sponsorship co-ordination.
With the tournament doubling its fundraising total in its second year, Maver is hoping to help Crohn’s and Colitis Canada expand the tournament and eventually hold similar events in the eight other CFL cities.
“The cool thing about being a pro athlete, especially here with the Stampeders, is you’re given such a platform that you’re able to do these things,” Maver said. “You have a staff that’s tremendously supportive of their players in these initiatives.”
Maver’s efforts this year went far beyond just organizing the flag football game, too.
The Kicking Chron’s in the Butt program saw sponsor Truman Insurance donate $1 for every punting yard Maver accumulated this season to the Calgary chapter of Chron’s and Colitis Canada, resulting in a total donation of $5,143.
He also made visits for Camp Got2Go at the Easter Seals Camp Horizon in Bragg Creek, hosted multi-agency school support teams through a partnership with the Calgary Police Service, and did speaking engagements at various conferences and information nights.
It’s an impressive off-the-field resume. There’s lots that’s not included in the above list, too and it’s not hard to see why the Stamps felt that Maver was deserving an award named after one of their all-time greats.
Harrison played for the Stampeders from 1964 to 1972, was a West Division All-Star six times and a CFL all-star on three occasions.
He also remained in Calgary after his career was over and was an active member in a number of community initiatives around the city.