Sue Hodgson –
On June 17 we hosted our Seventh Annual Taking It To The Street Charity Road Hockey Tournament fundraiser in support of Help Fill A Dream, and it was a banner success! To date we have raised over $135,000. We had to wait three years to start it all over again, and I was thrilled to see the team of family, friends and colleagues all come together to make it happen. As the hockey event was all outdoors, and with June having very unsettled weather patterns, I checked the long-range forecast every day for weeks in advance. Low and behold we got the only day with perfect conditions!
Every year at our event, we have a dream reveal for a child in need. This year it was presented to Jackson. Jax has Spastic Diplegia Cerebral Palsy Level IV, Epilepsy. Jax and his family love the outdoors and to be active, biking and hiking. Bike riding is Jax’s favourite and we were able to present him with his very own trike, and in his favourite colour too! This specialized trike will be used for home and school, allowing for much better mobility, and help his leg muscles gain strength, especially as he grows up.
We all know that it takes a village to raise a child; well, I think it takes a community to build a village. I want to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you that helped us put on this event this year. Without all your help we could not have done this. You’ll find photos from our amazing day on pages 16 and 17.
The Doobie Brothers released a song in 1976 called Taking It To The Street. It was meant to bring a message directly to the people, and part of this message was from the perspective of someone growing up amid poverty and addressing an audience that has no idea what it’s like to live there: “You don’t know my kind of world.” This always resonated with me. Over seven years of working with Help Fill A Dream, meeting some of the families and learning the challenges they have, we really don’t know what their world is like. That’s why Seaside’s Taking It To The Street charity event is so important!
Again, thank you everyone, and have a great summer!
~ Seaside Sue
Photo by Janis Jean Photography. Styled by Shai Thompson at House of Lily Koi, Sidney.
