[homeles_ot-l] Charity tournament scores win for homeless

[Lynne Browne]

FYI, April 20th 
http://www.yourottawaregion.com/news/local/article/1339998--charity-tour
nament-scores-win-for-homeless 

Lynne Browne

Executive Director, Alliance to End Homelessness 

lbrowne at ysb.on.ca <mailto:lbrowne at ysb.on.ca> 

613-241-7913 ext. 205, 

147 Besserer St., Ottawa, ON K1N 6A7

www.endhomelessnessottawa.ca
<https://mail.ysb.on.ca/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.endhomeless
nessottawa.ca> 

ATEH on FACEBOOK HERE
<https://mail.ysb.on.ca/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.facebook.co
m/home.php?%23!/pages/Alliance-to-End-Homelessness-Ottawa/13602938644239
8?v=wall%26ref=ts>  & TWITTER HERE @endhomelessOTT
<https://mail.ysb.on.ca/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=https://twitter.com/en
dhomelessOTT> 

**********************

Charity tournament scores win for homeless

'This is the biggest thrill I've had in 15 years'

 

Charity tournament scores win for homeless.

Paul Roseheart is hoping to make a few saves both on and off the ice by
playing in the second-annual Freedom 55 Financial Hockey Helps the
Homeless tournament in Ottawa on Friday, April 20.

The goaltender for Great West Life, one of the 12 teams participating in
this year's event at the Bell Sensplex in Kanata, knows first-hand the
value of the dollars raised.

In the early 1980s, Roseheart was living on the streets of Ottawa - 30
years later the Ottawa man is a volunteer outreach worker at Ottawa
Innercity Ministries, one of the charities that will benefit from this
year's tournament.

"Unfortunately, I fell through the cracks of the sidewalk for a few
years," he said. "With the help of the Lord and Ottawa Innercity
Ministries I've been able to see the light again and try to get myself
out - I have no plans of going back to the streets."

Roseheart said more and more youth are living on the streets of downtown
Ottawa.

"I'm seeing too many young people with no direction," he said. "They're
sleeping out in the cold with sleeping bags.

"It's depressing."

Roseheart said you can find three homeless people on any given block of
downtown Ottawa.

"It's got to change - I don't know how it's going to change but with
tournaments like this it will."

Alliance to End Homelessness statistics show that more than 7,000 people
used shelters in Ottawa last year - not counting the number of youth who
couch surf or people who spend their nights in abandoned buildings or on
the streets, said Ken MacLaren, executive director of Ottawa Innercity
Ministries.

MacLaren said Hockey Helps the Homeless assists in two ways: by raising
money and awareness of the problem.

"People will be able to come to a better understanding of how we can
help," he said.

This year's tournament has raised approximately $30,000, money that will
go to three charities: Ottawa Innercity Ministries, Daybreak Housing,
and the Ottawa Mission.

Organizers had targeted $150,000, but fell short because the tournament
started late, said Shirley Roy, a spokesperson for the event. 

The Ottawa tournament almost didn't happen this year, as organizers were
forced to postpone the event because of a lack of interest from
participants and volunteers.

But interest in the tournament picked up after the media reported on the
charity's organizing problems, with several volunteers stepping forward,
including Kanata's Dave Edgecomb, co-chair of this year's event.

"It went wonderfully," said Edgecomb, after finishing a game playing
centre for team MDS Nordion on Friday morning.

"We would have liked more corporate sponsorship but individuals stepped
up - it was great."

The tournament's organizing committee has made enough connections with
sponsors to ensure Hockey Helps the Homeless will become an annual
event, said Edgecomb.

"Every year should be a stepping stone," he said. "So (with) the
contacts we made this year, it should just get bigger and bigger."

Eight men's teams and four women's teams participated in this year's
tournament.

Former Ottawa Senators Brad Marsh and Laurie Boschman played in the
tournament and organized "an outstanding" lineup of NHL alumni to
participate in the event, with two NHL alumni or two players from the
Canadian Women's Hockey League.

"I'm happy to help," said Boschman, who played with team Great West
Life. 

The tournament allows Boschman to meet new people, play the game he
loves and raise money for an important charity, he said.

"I think it's a hat trick that way," said Boschman, who also
participated in the 2010 Hockey Helps the Homeless tournament.

Bill Derlago, who played centre for the Toronto Maple Leafs from 1980 to
1986, said he enjoys the camaraderie at the games.

"The best thing about it is the dressing room talk," Derlago said.
"Hockey talk - which is good. (Talk about) Ottawa is in the playoffs,
which is good."

Derlago said homelessness is a problem in Toronto.

"Toronto's bad - I don't know about Ottawa," he said. "But they need
help. Everybody needs some help."

CANADA-WIDE TOURNAMENT

Hockey Helps the Homeless is an annual event played in major cities
across Canada that allows hockey enthusiasts to play three games on a
team with NHL alumni.

For the price of a $300 registration fee, participants receive a team
jersey with their name on the back and an invitation to a dinner and a
silent auction.

The tournament raises between $150,000 to $200,000 in cities such as
Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, with 35 per cent of the money used to
pay to run the tournament.

Ottawa's tournament raised $13,000 during its first event in 2010, with
the money going to the Ottawa Mission, funds used for renovations at its
Waller Street shelter.

The event had trouble putting together a volunteer organizing committee,
leaving one of the charity's full-time employees the task of running
most of the event.

Two years later the charity again had trouble attracting volunteers to
help run the charity tournament.

Last August, only one prospective volunteer showed up for the kick-off
meeting for Ottawa's Hockey Helps the Homeless tournament.

"It was quite disappointing," said Gary Scullion, executive director of
Hockey Helps the Homeless. "We were thinking of postponing or cancelling
it. We just wanted to regroup."

But ever since news of the charity's organizing problems was made
public, Scullion's phone started ringing off the hook, with interest
from both participants and volunteers.

It cost $300 per individual or $3,600 for a team to register for the
tournament, which pays for a lunch and formal dinner, an NHL-calibre
jersey and socks and the opportunity to live a hockey fan's dream, said
Scullion.

Roseheart said it was wonderful to meet former NHL players and women
pros from the CWHL.

"I haven't put on goalie skates in 15 years and I got the opportunity to
meet Amanda Shaw (CWHL player)," he said. "This is the biggest thrill
I've had in 15 years - I'm ecstatic."

 

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