MANITOBA MOOSE IN THE COMMUNITY
Paying it Forward
By : Kory Harnum Photos by Zach Peters and Jonathan Kozub
It has been a busy summer for the Manitoba Moose as they continue to give back to the community . Throughout the 2016-17 season , the Moose partnered with various community groups through in-game initiatives , in an effort to raise funds to support their specific cause . The off-season has allowed time to follow up with each organization and present a cheque to them with the funds that were raised .
The Manitoba Moose donned five different speciality jerseys this past season , which were either worn during the pre-game warmup or in-game . Following the game , the jerseys were auctioned off and the proceeds benefitted the partnered organization for that game .
In December , the Moose partnered with the provincial Children ’ s Wish Foundation chapter to host Star Wars Day . During the pre-game warmup , the Moose players wore Star Wars themed jerseys and Conor Pisni-Ray , a Children ’ s Wish Recipient , participated in a ceremonial puck drop prior to the start of the game . In July , a cheque for $ 5,120 was presented to the Children ’ s Wish Foundation by Moose VP of Operations
Dan Hursh and Community Relations Manager Kory Harnum .
The Moose showed their appreciation to the Fire Fighters of the province during their January 15th game when they wore special edition firefighter themed jerseys . The jerseys were auctioned both at the game and online and , combined with a special ticket offer , a cheque for $ 8,232.53 was presented to the Manitoba Fallen Firefighter Foundation .
In February , the Assiniboine Park Zoo partnered with the Manitoba Moose for the Polar Bear jersey night . The jerseys were worn during the game to bring awareness to the Polar Bear Rescue Team , a group of animal care professionals that are called to action when there are polar bear cubs in need of rescue . Between the jerseys auctioned in-game and online , a total of $ 5,793.72 was raised and a cheque presentation is scheduled to take place prior to the start of the 2017-18 season .
March featured speciality jerseys in two separate games during the eight game home stand . The Moose faced the Toronto Marlies on March 12th , where they wore replica jerseys worn by the Manitoba Moose during the 1996-97 season . The jerseys were auctioned off and a cheque for $ 5,577.48 was presented to Hockey Manitoba in early August to assist with their grassroots and development programming . The Moose also partnered with the St . Amant in March to promote the team ’ s Autism Awareness Month and during the March 24th game , the players wore Autism Awareness-themed jerseys , which were later auctioned off . In addition , puzzles were sold on the concourse throughout the month , featuring five different Moose players . Sales from the puzzles and the game-worn jerseys were combined and a cheque for $ 15,364.24 was presented to the St . Amant Foundation to support the Autistic classrooms at the St . Amant Centre .
In total , over $ 40,000 was given back to local community organizations this past season through the Manitoba Moose jersey auctions , which was only possible because of Moose fans and their commitment and support for these causes . It is always exciting to partner with community and not-for-profit organizations and we look forward to the upcoming season and the opportunity for new speciality jerseys .
76 | GAME ON | SEPTEMBER 2017