The Innisfail Yetti Junior B Tier II Lacrosse club will be hosting the 2nd Annual Dave Lorette Memorial game on June 27 at the Innisfail Arena.
Lorrette was a long-time Innisfail Arena operator who looked after customers and the facility with what was fondly remembered by locals as great enthusiasm.
"He epitomized what a community arena operator should be," said Terry Welsh, Town of Innisfail's director of community and protective services.
The inaugural event was held last year to honour the popular arena icon, affectionately known as "Arena Dave", who passed away unexpectedly in 2013.
"Dave did so much to support lacrosse," said Hanson, team manager and board member. "Not only in his official role at the arena, but just in general. He loved the sport and the kids who play it and they all loved him. He was a wonderful individual and we just wanted to do something special in his honour."
Hanson added Lorette worked quietly behind the scenes, doing far more than his job entailed, often paying for kids to play lacrosse or hockey when they could not.
The idea for the event came from a member of the Calgary Wranglers lacrosse team, Ziad Alim Hirjji, who is a longtime friend and “adopted son” of Lorette's family.
Upon hearing this proposition, the local Yetti club, of the Innisfail Minor Lacrosse Association, decided to take the whole idea a step further and make the entire event about Lorette and the charities he supported, specifically the Alberta Institute for Wildlife Conservation (AIWC), and Alberta KidSport.
The Yetti team will be playing the Red Deer Renegades of the Red Deer Lacrosse Association, which includes players between the ages of 17 and 21.
The Innisfail Yetti will donate proceeds raised that day from admission fees to the two charities. "We only charge $2 to get in, but several people have donated much more when they found out we were supporting Dave's favourite charities," said Hanson.
“Dave's daughter, Pam Fry, will be on hand as well,” added Hanson.
Fry is pleased to be part of the memorial game.
“My mom and I will be there to present a plaque to the Yetti,” said Fry, who now lives in Calgary and works with WestJet. “Dad always wanted kids to enjoy team sports and made sure every kid who wanted to was able to. The kids were such a big part of his life, and this game continues that.”
Lorette's widow, Donna, said her late husband would feel honoured by the memorial game and donations.
“I'm so proud of my husband and the work he did at the arena,” said the widow. “This is one of the best things anyone could have done for him.”
Anyone wishing to donate to the AIWC may do so by visiting http://www.aiwc.ca/. Anyone wishing to donate to Alberta Kidsport should visit http://www.kidsport.ab.ca/.
