Easter Seals nets $26,000 windfall from tourney

Some Good Samaritans with great shots did their part here Saturday to make some local children feel like champions.
The first-annual “Power Play” street hockey tournament in support of the local branch of Easter Seals was a massive hit with organizers, the 13 teams that participated, and spectators.
When all was said and done, $26,108.48 had been raised through pledges garnered by the competing teams, live and silent auctions of sports memorabilia following the tournament, and ticket sales for that evening’s dinner and social.
“It’s astounding how the teams pulled together, with the money they raise and the energy they had,” said organizer Christa Werenko. “They all came out for a good cause, and played for fun.
“It was an amazing day.”
The North American Lumber Rats blanked the Fort High squad 8-0 in the final, but everyone involved with the tournament felt like a winner afterwards.
“I’m very proud of what’s happened here,” said Werenko, who was especially thankful for the efforts of tournament co-ordinator Shane Bliss. “There was a lot of work, and a lot of planning by the Rainy River district council, to make this work.”
Diana Sustawenko, regional manager for the Northwestern Ontario branch of the Easter Seal Society, was awestruck at how well the tournament went over.
“This is an awesome, awesome community,” she enthused. “It’s certainly a hockey community, and we felt it would go on really well here. [But] if it wasn’t for the volunteers, this event couldn’t have happened.
“[Werenko] put in some long, hard hours into the event to make it the success it was.”
Those on hand were treated to a tasty lunch whipped up by the Fort Frances Kiwanis Club while taking in the action of the double-elimination tournament.
It was not food, but people’s generosity that had local resident Nikki Wiedenhoeft filled with sincere gratitude.
“Easter Seals has been tremendous to us,” said Wiedenhoeft, whose special needs son, Nicholas, dropped the puck for the ceremonial opening face-off Saturday morning at the tennis courts next to the Memorial Sports Centre.
“The challenges with having a child who needs a wheelchair are many,” she said. “[Easter Seals] makes living at home so much easier. I can’t say enough about them. They’ve been huge in our lives.
“You can’t appreciate them completely until you’re in these shoes.”
Werenko was optimistic about the tournament’s future, believing the sky’s the limit to what it can help accomplish.
“For a first-time event, to have 13 teams out is amazing,” said Werenko. “The word’s going to get out there about how great this was. It will get bigger.
“I’m looking forward to next year already.”