When the first goal is scored, it will be raining Teddy bears in Indus.
The Indus 13 A Hurricanes will be hosting a Teddy Bear Toss to support the Alberta Children’s Hospital on Dec. 21 at the Bill Herron Arena.
The Canes will be looking for a win over the Tier 2 Chestermere Lakers that day, but the real prize is the toys and items donated, and the funds raised, to support a great cause, says Canes head coach Scott Pike.
“This is a huge cause,” said Pike. “The Children’s Hospital does many things for many people here in Alberta. It’s an extremely important place.”
There are some personal reasons for the team choosing to support the Children’s Hospital as one of their team members has a sibling who makes regular trips to receive treatment there, explained Pike, but it’s also about teaching his kids about the importance of giving back to the community in whatever way they can.
“Year after year, I always say sports is one thing, and you are going to learn the skills in sports, but I like to try to do something so my kids that I coach take something else away from the season,” Pike explained. “There is more to all of this than just sports. It’s to make them understand the importance of supporting each other and supporting others, and learning from their experiences on this team.
“I want them to learn the importance of being there to support others,” he added. “The Teddy Bear Toss is just kind of a great way to pull all that together.”
On top of Teddy bears, Pike also wanted to ask people coming out to consider bringing other donations as well from the Alberta Children’s Hospital’s “Toy & Gift Wish List.” The Wish List includes items such as baby clothes, diapers, teething rings, etc. for the young ones, and various other suggestions for family members of all ages.
“If anybody would like to come out and donate from that Wish List, you can go on the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation website and see the Wish List,” explained Pike. “We also have a link to it on our Indus Minor Hockey website and Facebook pages. Bring items and let’s fill these bins!”
Besides the Toss, there will also be a 50/50 draw with proceeds going to the Children’s Hospital and the Bow Valley Ag. Society will donate $1 from every coffee or hot chocolate sold during the event to the cause. The 50/50 drive goes live on Dec. 16 at indusminorhockey.ca.
The puck is scheduled to drop at 3:15 p.m. on Dec. 21 in Indus, and admission is free. The Teddy bears will fly when the first goal is scored by either team.
“We’re expecting a pretty big crowd and it sounds like there has been a lot of publicity for this one, and there are a lot of people really excited for it,” said Pike. “It should be great.”
