Sport Central Expands Support For The Maskwacis Community By Donating Sporting Equipment

Guided by the slogan “Assisting The Kid in Sport,” an existing relationship between Maskwacis Community and Sport Central will be elevated to a new level in support of the children and families in the Maskwacis region who cannot access the sport equipment they need to play hockey and get involved in other sports.

On Friday, November 7th at 1:00 p.m., a shipment consisting of two United Cycle trailers will arrive at Ermineskin Cree Nation from Sport Central in Edmonton. Valued in excess of $150,000, the sporting goods contained in these vehicles will help outfit any kid in the community who wants to play hockey,  golf, volleyball, or basketball, in addition to other assorted sports gear.

This initiative could not have happened without the support of Maskwacis Health Services and the Hockey Alberta Foundation’s “Every Kid Every Community” program.

“Maskwacis might be a new name for many people, but the community formerly known as Hobbema has been steeped in sports for decades,” says Sheldon Oleksyn, Executive Director of Sport Central. “While many kids in the community play hockey and golf already, we plan to increase this number by ensuring every kid here has access to the equipment they need to play the sports they want. We intend this program to expand and eventually serve kids across the region.”

Working with the Hockey Alberta Foundation and United Cycle, Sport Central aims to make participation in hockey accessible to all children across central and northern Alberta through its Outreach Program. Maskwacis Cree Nation has worked with Sport Central in the past, but this is the first time sporting gear will be delivered, organized, stored and managed right in the community at the Jim Rattlesnake Building.

 “We are so pleased to receive this equipment to enable the children in this community to access existing rinks, gyms and nearby golf courses. We have the facilities, all that was missing was the gear. Sport Central and its partners are filling that need,” says Kyle Wolfe—a Youth Worker with the Maskwacis Health Services—speaking on behalf of the community in which he serves.

Sports are first about having fun, but they also teach valuable life lessons about health, commitment, work ethic, how to be part of a team, and making sacrifices for the benefit of others. All children need to have access to these opportunities and lessons. They also need after-school and weekend activities to keep them focussed on uplifting pursuits that involve parents and community leaders.

Organizations like Sport Central, the Hockey Alberta Foundation, United Cycle and Alberta’s Promise are teaming up to make projects like this happen that benefit everyone in the province.

The inaugural ATB Alberta Peewee Prospects Cup will be the start of the Hockey Alberta Development program and will be held in off years of the Alberta Winter Games. For the 2015 event, male athletes born in 2002 are eligible.

“The Peewee Prospects Cup program is designed to give second-year peewees the opportunity to show their skills, and receive top-level instruction and assessment” said Dustin Moore, Hockey Alberta coordinator for Team Alberta. “But it is not just the players who will benefit from this new program. Coaches and trainers, as well as volunteers interested in working as directors of operations, will also gain valuable experience working in a competitive atmosphere.”

The ATB Prospects Cup program begins with four regional camps, April 17-19, 2015. The camps will be held in Edmonton, Calgary, Stony Plain (for northern Alberta players), and Olds (for southern Alberta players). Two teams (a total of 40 players, along with coaches and trainers) will be selected at each camp to participate in the eight-team Prospects Cup tournament in Olds on May 7-10, 2015.

Referee Lacey Senuk of St. Albert is among the 20 Canadian officials assigned to IIHF events for the 2015-16 season. She was the lone Albertan on the list.

Senuk will head to Asiago, Italy in April to officiate the Division I, Group B portion of the 2016 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship.

Another Albertan, linesman Chris Carlson of Edmonton, was named to the long-list to officiate at the 2016 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship in Russia in May. The final list of officials for that event will be announced in early 2016.

For more information on the Hockey Canada Officiating Program and all of Hockey Canada’s development programs, visit www.hockeycanada.ca, or follow along through social media at www.facebook.com/hockeycanada and www.twitter.com/hockeycanada.

Today, Curtis Glencross and representatives from the Glencross Invitational Charity Roughstock Event presented by the Calgary Flames and PennWest formally announced the final total of funds generated this past August while presenting cheques to the two beneficiaries of the event.

The charity rodeo took place on August 22 at the Daines Ranch near Innisfail, Alberta with all proceeds directed to Ronald McDonald House® Central Alberta and the Hockey Alberta Foundation’s Every Kid Every Community program. A total of $300,000 was raised; $120,000 of the proceeds directed to the Hockey Alberta Foundation and $180,000 to Ronald McDonald House Central Alberta.

“It is incredible to see what this hard work has gone towards. These are two amazing charities that I have been privileged to work with,” said Curtis Glencross. “I truly look forward to growing this event for years to come and am proud of the direction it is heading.”

The main event, a roughstock rodeo, featured bull, bronc and bareback riding with some of North America’s most accomplished riders, including past Canadian Finals Rodeo champions. The evening prior to the rodeo, a poker tournament was held in Red Deer for event sponsors at The Holiday Inn located in gasoline alley.

Youth hockey support will be directed through The Hockey Alberta Foundation’s Every Kid Every Community program and the Glencross Legacy Fund. The Every Kid Every Community program directs grants and resources to Alberta communities to utilize in the creation and support of programming in order to make the game more accessible for kids to play hockey. The Glencross Legacy Fund will allow Minor Hockey Associations access to funding to cover registration fees and associated costs for children with financial hardships who may otherwise not have the opportunity to play hockey.

“When we started thinking about planning a charity rodeo, giving kids a chance to play hockey who may not have the opportunity to was one of our first priorities along with supporting the Ronald McDonald House,” said Glencross. “Having the Curtis Glencross Legacy Fund available for kids in Alberta was a huge goal of ours and one that we are thrilled to provide in partnership with the Hockey Alberta Foundation.”

“We are very pleased to be associated with the Curtis Glencross Invitational Charity Roughstock event and Ronald McDonald House Central Alberta. To date these funds have had a meaningful impact on 10 Alberta communities and over 750 kids by ensuring they have access to grassroots hockey programs. Most of the programs created are now sustainable and continue to grow and run on their own,” said Scott Robinson, Executive Director of the Hockey Alberta Foundation. “Curtis and his family and his fantastic group of volunteers have demonstrated great leadership and commitment to his Alberta roots with this event. We’re proud to be connected with this great team that Curtis has assembled, and look forward to building on the great success in the future.”

Ronald McDonald House® Central Alberta offers a home-like atmosphere for out-of-town families with children receiving medical attention in Red Deer. Families must live out of the Red Deer city limits in order to stay at the House. However, the House also offers a day use program for Red Deer families with children receiving treatment at the Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre.

“We are very grateful to Curtis Glencross and the organizing committee for putting together such a world class event,” said Larry Mathieson, Chief Executive Officer, Ronald McDonald House® Central Alberta. “It takes $1.2 million to operate Ronald McDonald House each year and the funds raised through the Glencross Invitational Charity Roughstock help us to continue our mission of supporting sick children and their families.”

To date the Glencross Invitational Roughstock Event has raised more than $777,000 for Central Alberta charities.