By Rachel Stark [1]
BATAWA – Crowds of supporters gathered this past weekend at the Batawa Community Centre [2] to watch pond hockey and raise money for health support for members of the Canadian Forces [3].
For the sixth year, members of the military and others from Canadian Forces Base Trenton [4], along with other participants, gathered into 30 teams and hit the three outdoor ice surfaces surrounding the community centre. Spectators surrounded the rinks to watch the action and support the cause.
The money raised will go to support Wounded Warriors Canada [5] and the Trenton Memorial Hospital Foundation [6], both non-profit organizations dedicated to supporting veterans and members of the military through health care.
Supporter Serge Joncas, who’s new to the Batawa area, said watching the games reminded him of when he played pond hockey as a kid.
Jeffrey Moorehouse (above), the founder of the event, cleared the rinks on the Zamboni and helped around the centre, meeting supporters throughout the weekend. Photo by Rachel Stark, QNet News
“I’ve played hockey my whole life, and I love to be around people with sticks and pucks – so it’s a great place to be,” he said.
It was Capt. Jeffrey Moorehouse of 436 Squadron [7], a transport fleet at CFB Trenton, who had the idea back in 2012 of holding a hockey fundraiser. That year, there was a hockey game between members of 436 Squadron to raise money for the Military Families Fund [8]. Since then the event has grown and raised over $140,000 for military support.
This year’s fundraiser was another success, Moorehouse told QNet News.
“We sold out our tickets in advance, and with phenomenal weather and fun hockey, it’s been a great weekend,” he said.
While hockey went on outside, inside the community centre there were booths selling merchandise, a food operation and a silent auction of NHL memorabilia.
Laura-Lee Hogan, events manager of the Trenton Memorial Hospital Foundation, ran the clothing booths. She said the event was a great way for the community to support the cause.
“CFB Trenton is a huge part of our memorial hospital community, and Jeff is a great supporter of that community. So it is a great tie-in,” Hogan said.
The pond-hockey tournament kicked off Saturday morning with teams playing in two divisions. The top 20 teams from Saturday went into the finals, which finished Sunday afternoon.
The winning teams on Saturday were able to move on to the finals on Sunday. Photo by Rachel Stark, QNet News
There was also a dinner gala on Friday.
The fundraising goal was $50,000, but the actual amount raised won’t be announced until early March, according to Moorehouse. “We are confident (that) if we’ve not achieved our goal it will be pretty close to it,” he said.
Last year’s target was $40,000; $38,000 was raised.