The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Three local recreation hockey clubs are turning a holiday tournament into a toy drive for the Children's Gift Program. The Whoopers, the Oil and the Rocks will face off in a round robin tournament on Friday night, but the hockey itself has taken a back seat since tournament organizers have decided to collect gifts to be donated over the holiday season. "Everybody on all three teams will bring an unwrapped toy to donate," said Darren Romo, tournament organizer. "We hope people will come out and watch and bring a toy that they can donate to the program, too. If they are too busy to pick up a toy, they can throw in a couple of dollars that will be put towards toy for the kids." The Children's Gift Program was established in order to make sure that every child has something to open on Christmas morning. "Every year, parents don't always have the means to get their children gifts," said Jason Mandes, tournament organizer. "When they are unable to, this is gives them the opportunity to come down and pick something out for their kids." Games will be played at the Creighton Sportex on Friday night, starting at 7 p.m. The second game will start at 8:15 p.m., with the third and final game at 9:30 p.m. There will be door prizes for people that contribute to the gift program. "It's not going to be the greatest hockey, but it's a chance to come out and watch three teams that enjoy playing the game," said Travis Rideout, tournament organizer. "Hopefully we can bring a smile to someone's face on Christmas, doing something that we like to do. We encourage as many fans as possible to come out, if not to watch the game, to support the program." If you can't make it to the game, you can still donate toys to the program by dropping them off at the Lord's Bounty Food Bank. The Food Bank will be open on December 18, 19, 22 and 23 from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. This is the tenth year of the Children's Gift Program in the area. "It's wonderful, what these young men are doing," said Ida Kozar, Children's Gift Program coordinator. "For them to do this and think about the young kids in our community, I think it's wonderful. The community spirit is definitely there with these young men." For more information on the tournament, you can visit www.geocities.com/whoopers_hockey.
