Good deeds put Paradise Warriors’ in running for cup

Players help teammate Charlie Druken, raise more than $1,600 to help with expense of getting him to Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto

A not-so-random act of kindness has been noticed. Organizers with the Paradise Warriors, a peewee hockey team, have been selected as one of 10 semi-finalists for the Chevrolet Good Deeds Cup.

Its act of kindness, in support of teammate Charlie Druken, 8, was selected by a panel of judges to be in the running as the Good Deeds Cup overall champion on Jan. 28.

Chevrolet, Hockey Canada and Chevrolet Hockey ambassadors Mitch Marner of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Caroline Ouellette of the Canadian women’s national team reviewed each entry and determined the 10 semi-finalists.

Now the Paradise Warriors need the public’s help to make them the overall champion. A Youtube video outlining the team’s efforts on Charlie’s behalf needs views by the public.

The more views, the better chance the initiative will be the overall winner.

This past November, coaches Bernie Sweeney and his wife, Melanie, organized a mini novice hockey tournament to raise money in support of Charlie.

He has been dealing with serious health issues for several years, and it became necessary for him to travel to the Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto to undergo testing that could help with the diagnosis and management of a rare genetic illness. The Paradise Warriors Peewee B team hosted a tournament, helped run the games and sold 50/50 tickets, and raised more than $1,600 to help offset the cost of Charlie’s trip to Toronto.

“As parents, we’re so proud to see our young hockey players giving back and helping one of their own,” Bernie said in an email.

“We were aware of the Chevrolet Good Deeds Cup and thought this was an excellent opportunity to showcase what we felt was a really good deed. We are so honoured to be selected as a semi-finalist, one of 10 selected out of more than 2,600 entries,” Melanie added.

Voting started on Jan. 15 and the hope is that all residents of this province will rally behind the initiative and make the Paradise Warriors one of three finalists in the voting for the winner of the Chevrolet Good Deeds Cup by watching the Warriors video submission on Chevrolet Canada’s Youtube channel. The three teams with the most views in a two-week period move on.