Charity game honours two of Welland’s own
For the sixth year in a row, the Welland Tigers A Midget team will honour two local heroes who dedicated their time to help others in need.
The Julia Turner and Dalton Jacques Hockey Night in Welland is a charity hockey game for the Welland community to come together, not only to continue the charitable works Dalton and Julia were involved in, but also to celebrate their lives.
The game, to be held Tuesday, is named in honour of the two young Wellanders who lost their lives to cancer.
Julia, a Notre Dame College School student in Welland, died Dec. 23, 2011 aged 15, just seven months after being diagnosed with brain cancer. Dalton was diagnosed with cancer in 2014 and died in March, 2016, also age 15.
Julia was an outstanding student who also played travel soccer for the Welland Wizards and basketball for the Pelham Panthers. She could also be found at the Welland arena on weeknights and weekends watching her friends from school play hockey.
“Julia, even at a very young age, spent a lot of her time helping the less fortunate, volunteering at the Hope Centre and Harvest Kitchen,” said event co- ordinator Linda Falovo- Atkinson.
“She was a very compassionate young lady, far beyond her years. She treated everyone with the utmost respect and enjoyed helping others.”
Dalton was a member of the Welland Tigers A 2000 team until the team’s Bantam Minor season, when he was forced to give up the game he loved due to his diagnosis of osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer. The team dedicated its two winning seasons to Dalton with the slogan ‘ Doing it for DJ’ and ‘ Did it for DJ.’
“( Dalton) loved sports and he donated much of his time to building lifelong friendships, all you needed to do was ask Dalton for assistance and he was there,” Falovo- Atkinson said.
“While Dalton was fighting for his life, he didn’t think about himself. He always worried about those closest to him. Christmas was a special time and Dalton knew even though he wasn’t well he needed to make Christmas extra special for children in the hospital and Dalton’s Wish was born.”
Though Dalton wasn’t feeling well, he helped deliver truckloads of toys to boys and girls at the McMaster Children’s Hospital in December 2015, showing the compassion and love he had for other people.
The game is a terrific way for the community to come and enjoy a great night of hockey while bringing a smile to those children who won’t be home for Christmas this year, Falovo- Atkinson said.
“Special thank you to the Turner and Jacques families who allow us to honour their children year after year,” Falovo- Atkinson said. “This event is held to help our community especially this time of year, Christmas when the need is much higher.”
“It is held to honour and remember the good these two young adults did and to show us all that giving a little can go a long way. There is a raffle table with amazing prizes as well as a silent auction. This event would not be possible without the help of local businesses and community partners.”
Falovo- Atkinson wants to make sure the community knows about the event; how important it is to honour these kids and to help out the Welland community. She refers to a quote from Sir Winston Churchill to encourage others to participate: “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”
Admission to the Dec. 19 game is a non- perishable food item for the Hope Centre and/ or a child’s toy that will be donated to the Ronald McDonald House in Hamilton. Start time is 7: 30 p. m. in the Welland Main Arena.