PENHOLD – Area residents generously gave to the Central Alberta Women's Emergency Shelter (CAWES) at the Battle of the Blades charity hockey game in Penhold.
The game between Bowden correctional officers and Penhold firefighters was held for the second consecutive year, but the Dec. 9 match at the Penhold Regional Multiplex was the first time it was a fundraiser.
"We hope to do more in the future," said Angela Davis, Penhold firefighter-EMT and one of the organizers for the event. "Last year we held a hockey game (with Bowden) but didn't sponsor a charity. This year we decided to do something good for the community and sponsor a charity. We chose CAWES.
"It was a great turnout. We're very, very happy with the generosity," she added. "The donations that came in were overwhelming. They'll be helping a lot of families this Christmas."
Unwrapped toys and essential items were collected, as well as more than $200 in cash for CAWES during the charity hockey game.
"We're here for women and their kids,” said Lana Kennedy, board member with CAWES. “This community has really come out to provide something for them at Christmas. That's so needed at this time of year,” she added. “It's a tough time of year and it's a tough economy we're in right now.
"We're pretty pleased and pretty thankful that they chose us."
Bowden beat Penhold 14-6 in the charity hockey game and despite being on the losing end, Penhold fire Chief Jim Pendergast said it was a great night for a worthy cause.
"It was a lot of fun. I think we raised a lot of money and had a lot of toys donated for the Central Alberta Women's Emergency Shelter," said Pendergast. "We very much appreciate the fans coming out and supporting CAWES."
Rob Hobbs with the Bowden correctional officers team agreed.
"The score doesn't really matter. Everyone had a lot of fun out there," said Hobbs. "It's good to come out and play the Penhold firefighters.
"Penhold has a really good community spirit and there's a lot of us that live here. It's nice to come out and support (their cause)."
Angela Davis
"It was a great turnout. We're very, very happy with the generosity."
