Students at Osoyoos Elementary School were all smiles last Thursday as Vancouver Canucks mascot Fin paid a visit to the school to say hello, shake hands and exchange high fives with students and staff, while also dropping off two sets of ball hockey equipment donated by the Canucks organization as part of a province-wide contest. Ball hockey equipment was donated to 50 schools across the province. Above, Grade 6 student Dominic Ethier gets up and personal with Fin in the school’s playground. (Keith Lacey photo)
The new school year got off to a resounding start last Wednesday at Osoyoos Elementary School as Vancouver Canucks mascot Fin paid a visit – and dropped off two new sets of ball hockey equipment that will be used by students for many years to come.
Dean Rowland, who is entering his ninth year as a teacher at Osoyoos Elementary and is the founder of the school’s hockey academy, entered a contest back in June sponsored by the Canucks organization.
“I saw an email that basically said the first 50 schools to sign up would get a new set of ball hockey equipment, so I signed up and found out a couple of weeks ago that we were one of the schools selected,” said Rowland.
Last Thursday, Fin, the popular mascot for the Canucks, showed up at the school, handed out the new ball hockey equipment and spent about an hour playing ball hockey with dozens of students and then stayed around after classes were let out for the day and hugged, high-fived and shook hands with many more students.
Fin dropped off two full sets of ball hockey equipment, including two nets, goalie equipment and 10 brand new alloy ball hockey sticks with plastic blades.
“This will be a nice addition to our current collection of ball hockey equipment,” said Rowland. “We have a large and dedicated group of kids who play ball hockey during lunch and this generous donation will ensure ball hockey continues to keep our kids active and fit for many years to come.”
The Canucks organization has been sponsoring a Canucks for Kids Fund for nearly 30 years and this promotion was part of that program.
Some of the programs and events sponsored by the program include community ticket donations; donations to non-profit and community organizations, tickets for kids; Community Corner, which provides registered B.C. charities the opportunity to come to Rogers Arena on game nights and share information about their organization with Canucks fans; Fin’s Friends, which is a free program for kindergarten, Grade 1, 2 and 3 students designed to teach the basic elements of character, education and social responsibility; Power Play, a program dedicated to promote fitness and nutrition to elementary students; scholarships; the Canucks Family Education Centre; a Raise a Reader Program that raises money and awareness for family literacy; Fan Mail, which ensures fan mail is answered and returned; and Seventh Generation, which was created to empower B.C. First Nations students to strive for excellence, stay in school and celebrate native culture.
Thanks to the generosity of Canucks fans, donors, players, employees and sponsor partners, the Canucks for Kids Fund has granted more than $46 million to charities in British Columbia over the last 29 years.
The Canucks for Kids Fund also raises awareness and funds through several charitable initiatives including: Canucks for Kids Fund 50/50, Canucks for Kids Fund Dice & Ice Benefit presented by Scotiabank, Canucks for Kids Fund Superskills powered by Rogers and the Canucks for Kids Fund Telethon presented by Chevrolet.
The Canucks for Kids Fund also raises funds through partnerships with Special Olympics B.C.’s Sports Celebrities Festival and the Vancouver Sun’s Raise a Reader Day.
Our core beneficiaries include the Canucks Autism Network (CAN), Canuck Place Children’s Hospice and B.C. Children’s Hospital Foundation.
The new school year officially started last Tuesday, but Thursday was the first full day of classes matching students with their new teachers, said Rowland.
“What a great way to celebrate our first full day of classes in the new school year,” he said. “We didn’t know Fin was going to be coming to the school and dropping off the equipment until the day before, so we put this all together in a hurry, but the kids had a great time and a lot of fun and it turned out really well.”
The Canucks are obviously a professional sports organization that cares about giving back to the community and the visit by Fin and contribution of the ball hockey equipment is a glowing example of that commitment, said Rowland.
“There are now 50 elementary schools across the province that have been given new ball hockey equipment and the price tag for that isn’t cheap,” he said. “This is a very generous program that is going to help out a lot of kids and we’re just thrilled to have been part of it.”
KEITH LACEY
Osoyoos Times
Students at Osoyoos Elementary School had a fun afternoon last Thursday as Vancouver Canucks mascot Fin dropped in for a visit and brought two new sets of ball hockey equipment with him. The Canucks organization sponsored a contest where they would purchase new ball hockey equipment for 50 elementary schools across the province. Fin spent more than half an hour testing out the new equipment with students and also posed for photos, shook hands and exchanged high fives. (Keith Lacey photo)
