A partnership between the Prince George Cougars and the YMCA are giving the residents of Simon Fraser Lodge a chance to meet some of the local sports stars.
"It's a opportunity for the team's fans that wouldn't go out to the games to get to know their team," said Karen Cameron, manager of resource development and communications, Family YMCA of Prince George. "The seniors just really love when activities and events take place."
The two agencies came together in the fall of 2011 in an effort to get the Cougars more involved in the community.
"For the residents, the lodge is their home - they live there and people often forget that," said Cameron. "They just love having people come in and visit them and do things with them. With the Cougars, it's important to do what we can to share the YMCA values with the communities. We want these young men to gain those values when they are young and carry them into their adulthood."
The team members put time aside each month to volunteer for the YMCA doing a variety of activities, including reading to young children and playing floor hockey with kids who are home-schooled and who use the YMCA facilities to earn their physical education credits.
"It's always important to have a presence in the community from a players standpoint," said Dan Gibb, Cougars defenceman. "We just want to show that we're willing to go above and beyond to help out as much as we can. It's good to get to know our season ticket holders and our fans. We like to show them that we're people too, and we appreciate their support."
While at the lodge, the players spent an hour visiting with the residents, playing games, doing crafts and socializing.
"The Cougars have been working with the YMCA for a number of years and we have been exploring ways to grow the relationship," said Brandi Brodsky, vice president, Prince George Cougars Hockey Club.
"We felt that committing to a minimum number of volunteer hours per month would be a fantastic start. It's great for our players to help us to give back to the community that supports us, and we have been getting terrific feedback that our presence there is having a very positive impact."
The players also understand the importance of giving back to the community and despite their busy schedule, the team is willing to put in the volunteer hours.
