It is a hockey-packed weekend across the province, and ROC (Recreation Opportunities for Children) Eastman is taking part in the action.
ROC The Rink Corporate Hockey Tournament kicks off today, Saturday, March 11 and runs all weekend long at the Ste. Anne Arena.
Steph MacLean, Development Coordinator and Family Recreation Practitioner at ROC Eastman, is excited to organize the event.
“It's been a couple of years since we've been able to run a hockey tournament. It's a corporate tournament. We've got six teams that come out, and they're supporting ROC,” MacLean explains. “It's a fundraiser for us, and they're just going to have a great time, and we're hoping that we can spread some awareness, raise some funds and just build some community all together at the Ste. Anne Arena."
MacLean adds that ROC Eastman’s mission is to break barriers and provide children with opportunities to participate in extracurricular activities, which is what they are fundraising for.
“We hope that we can tell more people about what we do. We often partner with a lot of our corporate teams. They're coming to the tournament, but even within their corporation, maybe some of these players and their families, this is their first time hearing of us. It's really exciting to be able to just keep extending the knowledge of what ROC Eastman does and how we break barriers to recreation for kids and also be that connection for kids who need that support that they know they can reach out to us.” she says.
The local businesses participating are Fairway Ford, Steinbach Credit Union, Steinbach and Area Realtors, Penn-Co, Golden West, and the ROC Misfits, a team made up of businesspeople from the community.
“It's so awesome. They're all local. If you live in this area, these are people you probably talk to all the time, and probably do business with all the time. It's so amazing that these companies have stepped forward, has asked their employees if they want to come out and support. It's going to be a really fun weekend,” she says.
Penn-Co faces off against Fairway Ford today at 9 AM and wraps up on Sunday morning. To learn more about ROC Eastman and upcoming events, visit them on Instagram, Facebook and their website, roceastman.ca.
With files from Dave Anthony.