HOORAY FOR HOSPICE
Novice players from the Mooretown Vipers celebrate a win over the Amherstburg Romano’s on Thursday at the 22nd annual Hockey for Hospice tournament at the Atlas Tube Centre in Lakeshore. This year’s event, in which 2,100 kids from 145 teams participated, has raised more than $339,000 for Hospice.
Two Amherstburg peewee hockey teams went head to head, not on the ice but in their fundraising efforts, collecting more than $5,000 each for Hospice and landing a spot in the Hockey for Hospice tournament’s Hall of Fame.
The Amherstburg Blue Lightning took top honours by raising $6,005 while the Amherstburg North Stars collected $5,110.
“I suspect these two teams had a friendly little competition,” tournament co-chair Paul Pietraszko said with a laugh.
“Most years we’ve had one (team make the Hall of Fame) but there have been years that we’ve had none,” Pietraszko said of the $5,000 benchmark. “It’s a pretty big target, that’s why it’s pretty special.”
The teams are two of 145 participating in the 22nd annual, threeday tourney that began Wednesday. A total of $339,065 has been pledged for the Hospice of Windsor and Essex County.
“It is the largest fundraising event that we have,” said Stephen Brennan, senior director for Hospice. “Over the 22 years, they’ve raised over $2.6 million.”
Brennan said all the money raised stays in the community to assist with Hospice’s programs and outreach. “Fundraisers like this help us to continue to offer all of our services with no charge,” he said. “The Hockey for Hospice (tourney) — everything that they’ve done — I can’t even express how much we benefit from it, how the community benefits from it.”
This year, 2,100 kids ages five to 14 are participating. All but 10 teams are from Windsor and Essex County with games at arenas in Amherstburg, Lakeshore, LaSalle, Tecumseh and Windsor.
Prizes for the fundraising efforts include hockey game tickets, including the Spitfires and Red Wings and gift cards, many of which are donated by local firms. A tournament first this year was a one-day jamboree for five-and six-year-old players. Twelve teams played games in a half-ice format at the Libro Centre in Amherstburg. “Those 12 teams (alone) raised $21,343,” Pietraszko said.
The event is a labour of love for Pietraszko and his friend Tim Beaulieu, the founder of the tournament. “It has its moments but, at the end of the day, it’s a great thing to do,” Pietraszko said. “It’s a lot of fun for the kids. It’s great to see the kids playing and having a ball.
“And the money they raise is wonderful.”