Blades Earn Award For Community Involvement

Saskatoon, SK: The Greater Saskatoon and Area Chamber of Commerce, on Tuesday, May 9, announced that the Saskatoon Blades were named the recipients of the of Saskatoon Achievement in Business Excellence Award for Outstanding Community Involvement at last night’s Celebrate Success Gala held in Saskatoon at TCU Place.
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rThe SABEX Awards are held annually to celebrate and honor excellence amongst the business community of Saskatoon and area.
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rThis award comes on the heels of Blades’ Captain Wacey Rabbit being named the Western Hockey League’s Humanitarian of the Year at last week’s Western Hockey League’s Awards Luncheon, and caps off a very successful year for the Saskatoon Blades within the community.
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rDuring the past year the team delivered numerous community projects designed to enrich the lives of youth in Saskatoon and Area including; Project Face-off which saw members of the Saskatoon Blades visit the Skid Row area of Vancouver before returning to Saskatoon to educate school children on the effects and consequences of drug and alcohol abuse.
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rThe Blades, in association with the 2005 Saskatchewan Centennial, also established the ground-breaking Aboriginal Mentoring Program which saw 40 aboriginal youth from around Saskatchewan participate in a 6-month mentoring program combining the teaching of hockey and life skills.
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rThe hockey club, in conjunction with the Saskatoon City Police Service, also spearheaded the Safety Patrol Recognition Program where 11 Saskatoon Schools were recognized during the year for their dedication to ensuring that the city’s children made it to and from school safely.
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rAmongst these three flagship programs, the Blades were also very active in attending minor hockey practices, reading to school children, visiting hospitals and numerous other community events while standing by their commitment to make Saskatoon and area a better place.
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rIn addition to being involved in numerous community projects, the hockey club also opened its doors to various charities and community groups to promote their causes during home games this season. These groups included Kidsport, The Canadian Cancer Society, Hockey Ministries, The Saskatoon Food Bank, Saskatoon Lacrosse just to mention a few.
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