By Andrew de Souza

Beardy’s collects on Hockeyville success

May 24, 2012 | 5:01 PM

After collecting almost 900,000 votes from across Canada, Beardy’s and Okemsis First Nation collected their winnings from the Kraft Hockeyville.

The community entered the Beardy’s Memorial Arena into the national competition. They had to show their spirit to get to the finals and then get the wider community to vote for them.

They managed to drum up the support of 874,451 people. It wasn’t enough to win but it was enough to place the arena in the top five, which netted the community $25,000.

Kevin Seesequasis who was on the organizing committee for the event said the hockey arena was the heart of the community with all ages playing in addition to the Beardy’s Blackhawks.

He said he was especially proud that a First Nation had made it all the way to the finals against hundreds of other communities.

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“It demonstrates to our community that we can do things when we work together,” he said. “There’s negative publicity for aboriginal communities all across Canada and this was something good that we could do together.”

The money will be used to reduce the overhead costs of running the facility, said Seesequasis. That will include upgrading to better, more efficient lighting, plumbing and other projects they can squeeze in.

“When you can give kids that excellent opportunity that they deserve in a first-class facility, when you can give them all the tools they need to succeed, I think everybody wins at the end of the day,” he said.

adesouza@panow.com
@drewdesouza