By Breanne Massey
Pioneer Staff
Playing for a team is only one aspect of what the Windermere Valley Rockies Peewee B team has been learning this season.
The Peewee B team gathered at the Eddie Mountain Memorial Arena late on Monday, December 14th to pack up and hand-deliver baked goods to Forrest Campbell (who recently suffered a spinal cord injury), Jeremy Donald (who partially suffocated in an avalanche last year and sustained a brain injury), and to Gavin Murray (who was their teammate until breaking his leg in a quading accident roughly three weeks ago).
The Peewee B team has been doing random acts of kindness all season, said Tanya Roe, Windermere Valley Rockies Peewee B team manager. Instead of doing team-building, theyre doing (activities) that support the community as well. Were calling it random acts of kindness.
Mrs. Roe stated the team has completed projects such as cleaning the trucks at the fire hall before the parade for Light Up and volunteering at the Columbia Valley Rockies game to help Alan Hann raise money for a double lung transplant this season.
My goal is to keep them all together as a team at all times and showing them that as long as theyre working together as a team, they can do anything, said Brandi Riches, Windermere Valley Rockies Peewee B team coach. I think only 0.1 per cent make it (in hockey) so we want to keep them together, keep them out of trouble and make them into good people (regardless).
In addition, Ms. Riches remains optimistic the lessons her team can learn through community projects will pay off in more than one way.
I want to show them how to do stuff for other people in the future, said Ms. Riches, adding the desire to promote random acts of kindness will help the team and the community during the first year of this initiative.
Others agree the camaraderie is more than enough of a payoff to continue down this path.
It is a great opportunity to help raise kids with the concept of community spirit, said Neil Carey, Windermere Valley Rockies Peewee B team assistant coach.
For any suggestions about other random acts of kindness that can be completed before the end of the season, contact Ms. Riches at 250-342-1679 with your ideas.
HOCKEY HEARTS From top to bottom, the Peewee Bs get ready to deliver the goods; the team visits the home of Forrest Campbell; then they stopped in to see Jeremy Donald; before paying a visit to injured teammate Gavin Murray. Photos by Tanya Roe
