Following their game next weekend, the Elmira Sugar Kings won’t give you the shirts off their backs … but they’ll happily sell them to you.
The team hosts its annual fundraising sweater auction January 22 following the matinee game against the Listowel Cyclones. This year’s recipient of the money raised will be Friends of Hockey, the Elmira-based organization that helps families offset the costs of playing hockey, including the likes of equipment and registration fees.
The event typically raises between $5,000 and $10,000, with the money going to a charitable organization, said Rob Waters, the team’s president.
The specially designed jerseys that will be unveiled that day were paid for by Elmira’s Bauer Homes, he added, noting community support has always been strong.
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“It’s certainly been a well received, well attended event in the past, and we have many sponsors and many fans – there are some people that collect the jerseys, so it’s a wide range of people in attendance.
“We’re very fortunate to have Bauer Homes in Elmira – they purchased the jerseys for the auction, and they’re partnering with the Sugar Kings,” said Waters.
“We are excited to support the Elmira Sugar Kings charity game and proud to partner with Friends of Hockey as the beneficiary of the auction,” said Mike Heckendorn of Bauer Homes.
It’s the support of local residents and companies that allow Friends of Hockey (FOH) to do the work it does, said the organization’s Kyle Rank.
FOH was formed in 2009 to provide assistance to families who might not otherwise be able to enroll their kids in minor hockey. The group typically allocates $10,000 to $15,000 each year to purchase equipment or to cover costs such as registration fees.
“The support from the Sugar Kings and Bauer Homes makes [this] possible – it’s nice to have their support in being able to raise money. Hopefully, we get lots of people out [January 22] to help us give back to the community, either helping kids with equipment or the financial backing that they need,” said Rank.
He noted FOH has seen an uptick in requests for assistance in the past year given the state of the economy, led by inflationary pressures.
“Inflation has obviously tightened things, everybody’s paycheques a little bit,” said Rank. “So anything we can do to help kids get out there and play, enjoy and have some good experiences, meet some friends and become better citizens in the long run, that’s the goal of our program.
“We don’t ever want to hear of a kid that can’t play because of financial restrictions.”
Proceeds from the auction will help FOH with that effort, he added.
The live auction event follows the matinee game (2 p.m.) on January 22 at the Woolwich Memorial Centre. Along with the game sweaters, they’ll also be a jersey signed by the entire team up for bids.
