The 22nd Annual Erindale Laurie Williamson Tyke Hockey Festival will be held March 24th to April 4th, 2010 at Erin Mills Twin Arena. This festival is the largest of its kind in North America.
The festival hosts 56 teams comprised of over 900 players in an environment of fun and fair play. The theme- "Every Child is a Winner" - helps to promote a child's self-confidence as well as their contribution to a team effort. Designed to maximize fun, each player receives equitable ice time, the same trophy and festival prizes at every game thanks to our numerous, generous sponsors.
The festival started in 1989 as the "Optimist Tournament" launched through the effort of its first chair, Scott Moulson. That initial tournament involved only four Erindale teams. In 2002, Laurie Williamson Pontiac Buick GMC joined the festival as the marquee sponsor. Each year more than 15 other companies participate as divisional sponsors and over 40 more contribute either through paid advertisement or through various food or prize donations. As well as enhancing their hockey skills, the children have fun in building new friendships within a positive hockey environment.
Along with the sponsors and contributors, the festival thrives on the tremendous volunteer support from the parents and families of our players and each year your participation exceeds our expectations. This year, we need your help to make the festival a success. Here are a number of ways in which you can volunteer an extra hour or two:
SPONSORSHIP: Become a divisional sponsor or a daily sponsor or contribute a prize for the raffle table or donate an item for the players' lootbags-it's great advertising. Every year, we have had a record number of sponsors contributing to the end-of-festival loot bags-let's keep this fine tradition going!
LOOT BAG DELIVERY: Volunteer to help deliver loot bags at the end of each team's first game during the festival. Take a time slot that coincides before or after your tyke's scheduled game time-that way you are already at the rink ready to help.
MEDIA: Every year we are amazed at the quantity and quality of media coverage that the festival manages to secure. Why not help with the committee to organize the various celebrity appearances and/or newspaper and billboard coverage? Some famous faces that have attended the festival in past years include Johnny Bower and members of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
TROPHY DELIVERY: Every player receives a trophy on the final weekend. Volunteer for a time slot to deliver the trophies to each dressing room following the games.
PIZZA PARTY: A great chance to help out in the party room serving up pizza to the young stars as they come off the ice and celebrate with their team. There are many shifts to choose from on the final weekend of the festival so sign up early to help cook and/or serve.
FOOD: Consider helping out in organizing food, drinks and snacks from various sponsors that have either shown their support in the past or help solicit new sponsors that may be willing to participate through donations or advertisement. The festival has won the support of food sponsors such as Gatorade, Dare, Molinaro's and Tim Horton's in the past and hopefully we can count on their support again.
PHOTO SALES: Help out the photographer for an hour or two in organizing photo sales for those amazing individual and team shots that are taken at the outset of the festival.
BE A GREETER: Erindale families are familiar with Erin Mills Twin Arena and the festival venue, but the visiting teams may not be. Help out by greeting players and spectators at the door and assist with their orientation around the arena.
VIDEOGRAPHY: There is nothing more thrilling than your tyke seeing themselves on tape during the greatest play of their life! If you have a video camera and are going to be at the rink anyway, why not help out by shooting some footage of the games during the final weekend? The tapes will be continuously looped on the TV monitor during the pizza party so that the players can witness for themselves their great performances on the ice! - We haven't done this since I've been around.
OAC COMMUNITY SERVICE HOURS: Encourage your older children requiring OAC community service hours to help in any of the activities such as pizza party, loot bag and trophy delivery and photo sales. It's an easy, fun way to get involved and log required community service hours for high school credit. Hours are officially logged and records forwarded by the festival committee to your child's school for credit.
If you are interested in joining the festival organizing committee, or want to add your name to the volunteer list to help out during the festival, please contact the festival chair, David Power at ipconvenor@erindalehockey.com
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