Stepping on a red carpet and being serenaded by a four-piece string quartet isn’t a daily occurrence for most.
Those at the Niverville Heritage Centre last night had just that. The Niverville Nighthawks, MJHL’s newest addition, hosted their first gala fundraiser. It was a night of celebration for the community and everyone involved with the organization.
Nighthawks' play-by-play announcer Kevin Pauls hosted the evening, which was a sellout. Seeing the community come together left him speechless.
“It was amazing. I don't even know the words because I stood there and tried my best to soak in the moment,” Pauls says. “Niverville’s had fantastic support from the outset. You see it with the volunteer support, from the billet coordinators down to the folks that are ushers and everything. It showed through at this gala event how excited and enthusiastic everybody from the community of Niverville is for this team. You could see it from all the details, all the efforts, and all the contributions to the event itself,”
Pauls says that players were in attendance for the gala and got to interact with the community and showcase their identity beyond hockey.
“I had the opportunity to introduce each player, and I asked them some questions that weren't your typical hockey questions in order to showcase some of their personality. They're all wonderful individuals from all across Canada and the U.S., and it was just really cool to see people laughing along with them, and some of their character really shining through, and the opportunity to sit and communicate with people around the community,” he says.
He believes the gala fundraiser was eye-opening for the players, especially with playoffs nearing.
“I think that really did hit home last night. I could see it sort of on their faces that, ‘oh man, we have so many people that are rooting for us.’ I think they saw this whole coming together, all the people around them, so maybe that will be something that galvanizes them. I hope it does, and certainly talking with a few of them, they understand the assignment,” he adds.
During the evening, Pauls hosted a hot stove discussion with MJHL Commissioner Kevin Saurette, four-time Grey Cup winner Andrew Harris, and MLA Kelvin Goertzen.
“Being able to be part of that hot stove was special. I got to talk to three individuals that have come from different walks of life and have experienced different either business or professional athletic success. It was just really neat,” he explains.
Clarence Braun, who was a key individual in bringing a team to Niverville, was in attendance. Pauls says that he and Braun shared special moments throughout the evening.
“Clarence is a very sharp man, and he certainly understood the weights of the whole deal. I did have a number of opportunities into the night, we kind of put our arms around one another and took a deep breath. We were really soaking in the moment. My eyes were wide open, and I felt the experience was very heavy last night," he recalls.
To top it all off, Pauls’s beard also played a part in the auction.
“At the end of it all, they actually auctioned off my beard,” he says. “They're going to shave my beard, so that was part of the whole fundraising effort, too,”
The Nighthawks continue home-ice action tomorrow against the Selkirk Steelers.
With files from Dave Anthony.