Thunder have ‘heart’

Dear sir:
Most of you probably know our Borderland Thunder hockey team is made up of great players, but what you may not know is the size of their “hearts.”
This past Sunday (Nov. 17), the Borderland Thunder, along with Easter Seals, held a special afternoon of skating with all the “special needs” children of our district to raise money for Easter Seals, which, in turn, will go to help out these children with everything from wheelchairs to money to help out with all the costs involved with out-of-town medical appointments, sending these kids to Easter Seal Camp, and other various adaptive equipment that makes their lives so much easier.
The total funds raised exceeded $8,000, which was more than the City of Thunder Bay raised! So, those who made donations should feel very proud knowing each person really did make a difference!
But the biggest and best reward came from watching 36 Easter Seal kids skate around the ice with the Borderland Thunder hockey team—their faces glowing with happiness and their hearts filled with pride!
As soon as the players hit the ice, they paired themselves up with an Easter Seal kid and took them skating—even the ones in wheelchairs!
For the entire afternoon, these guys totally devoted their time to these kids and their special needs. If some couldn’t skate, they would pick them up and carry them; if some couldn’t talk, they would talk for them; if some couldn’t play, they would play for them!
In fact, all the parents could have just left the arena and the players would have been more than happy to entertain the kids since they were all in their own little world together.
These guys didn’t just show up to do their charity work—they went above and beyond the call of duty! The love and compassion they demonstrated Sunday will last forever in the hearts of our “special children,” and especially in the hearts of all the parents.
As a mom of a very special little boy, words could never be enough to explain how wonderful it felt to watch my son laugh and smile and feel on top of the world! Sunday was a day we will mark down as one of the most memorable and heart-melting days we have ever spent.
At this time, I would like to acknowledge a very special guy named Jamie Munro (#35 on the Thunder), who spent all afternoon and evening with by son, Nicholas.
You have touched our hearts, Jamie, and we will always remember everything you did to make a special boy have the best day of his life!
For the faithful fans of the Borderland Thunder, now you have just one more reason to believe in them—their hearts!
A very proud and
thankful mommy,
Nikki Wiedenhoeft