Giving back biggest win
Supporting others is important mandate for Charlottetown Islanders
One of the most important parts of a major junior hockey player’s season is the time he spends giving back to the community of fans who supports his team.
Charlottetown Islanders centre Brett Budgell, 19, has played on the QMJHL squad for four years and has worked alongside teammates each year to give back to the city their team calls home. Being part of this type of teamwork is something he and his teammates take great pride in doing.
“I’ve been here to see Christmas a few different times. In Charlottetown, it’s definitely a time of need for a lot of people. I feel really fortunate to play for an organization that gives back a lot,” he says.
Islanders director of marketing Jason MacLean says giving back to Charlottetown is one of the organization’s biggest mandates. He says that while COVID-19 means things will look a little different this year, the team will continue with its annual efforts.
In past years, the team has been involved with initiatives such as giving tickets to Charlottetown charities like the Upper Room, Salvation Army, Toys for Tots and Santa’s Angels, as well as volunteering at the annual Children’s Wish Foundation Christmas Party, where the players play mini sticks with their mini fans, sign autographs and provide tickets to the wish children and their families.
MacLean says the team also holds its annual Teddy Bear Toss each December, where fans throw the bears onto the ice after the Islanders first goal of the game.
The bears are collected and donated to numerous charities.
The team also holds a toy drive to collect toys for the city’s Santa’s Angels charity.
The Islanders also participate in a team blood donation at Canadian Blood Services each December, as MacLean says there is a greater need over the holidays than during other times of year.
“So many people and businesses support us each season, so we feel it’s important we pay (that) forward by being involved and giving back. Prince Edward Island is a small place and we have an opportunity to participate and hold events that benefit others,” he says.
MacLean says this mandate exists not only to benefit Charlottetown but to ensure the total development of Islanders players, not just as great athletes but as great people.
“There is a sense of pride and accomplishment when they know they’ve done something good for someone else. You see it from them every time there’s an event. There’s never an issue getting them to participate, and they’re always doing it with a smile on their face,” he says.
Budgell says the team’s efforts this year will concentrate mostly on raising money and donations for the city’s food bank, as he says COVID19 may mean it’s a leaner Christmas for many this year.
“Food insecurity is a huge issue across Prince Edward Island and even Canada. People might be scrambling to put food on the table, and this is something not to take lightly. Doing this means players are taking away that even though sometimes you can’t see it, the need is still there,” he says.
He says that players also learning that putting this work in means just as much to them as it does the community they’re serving.
“Players take away the reallife experience of realizing not everyone is as fortunate as we are. We are so fortunate to live in a nice place like Charlottetown and to give back, and it really means a lot to us when we do it,” he says.