Teaming up for the Cheer Board

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This article was published 09/12/2023 (858 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Tyden Lafournaise and his Winnipeg Bruins (Gold) teammates are feeling mighty fortunate — these days and all days.

The U15 AAA squad is in the upper echelon of the Winnipeg U15 AAA hockey league standings with a 12-2-1-1 record and have yet to hit the midway point of a hectic 2023-24 season.

But the Bruins have some off-ice work to do Saturday, and it’s all about giving back to the community.

Players, coaches, managers, parents and even grandparents will deliver hampers for the Christmas Cheer Board, a tradition that started with this group a couple of years ago.

Lafournaise, the Bruins’ captain and league scoring leader (prior to Friday’s contests), said delivery day is important for the team.

It’s one of the most humbling experiences of his young life, he said.

“It’s a pretty big eye-opener, right? Not everyone can be as fortunate as us,” Lafournaise said, earlier this week. “Some of us kids come out of doing this and we’re like, ‘Holy, I’ve never experienced what these families are going through.’ I think it makes us appreciate things a lot more.”

The Bruins organization will likely have as many as 20 vehicles on the go, starting with pickup in the early afternoon at the Lafournaise home in the Island Lakes neighbourhood.

Over four hours, 103 hampers will be dropped off at addresses in St. Boniface and St. Vital, nearly double the number of deliveries from 2022.

Meeting families who receive a hamper is a moving experience, Lafournaise said.

“You’re knocking on the door with their hampers and there’s little kids running up to you and they’re like, ‘Oh, Mommy. We have presents.’ And it’s just like, ‘Wow.’ Obviously, I’m fortunate enough that we haven’t gone through that,” he said.

“It gets emotional when you’re delivering to these families with young kids. Their eyes light up seeing the presents and they’re asking mommy and daddy if they can open them now. It hits you deep.”

Bruins head coach Chris McColm said all 19 of his players are pumped about a day of volunteering as a group.

“They feel really proud to do it, but also proud that they’re doing it with their teammates and get to experience it together… helping people in need,” said McColm.

“It’s about helping our kids build character. These are the things we try and do every year, whether it’s soup kitchens or delivering hampers. It’s great for the kids. It’s a learning experience.”

The Bruins represent a team approach to delivering hampers, but Cheer Board volunteer co-ordinator Debra Halligan said delivery drivers come in many forms, from families, groups of friends and school alumni to community groups and businesses.

Police, firefighters, paramedics and members of the military also deliver hampers on an annual basis.

This year, almost 19,000 hampers will be dropped off at Winnipeg households, beginning this weekend and continuing until Dec. 23.

A typical delivery takes about an hour or two to complete, with all hamper deliveries located within blocks of each other. The Cheer Board gives drivers the contact information for each recipient, and arrangements are made for delivery.

“It’s a really worthwhile way to help us out. It gives you goosebumps. There is a sense of accomplishment because you’ve done a good deed,” said Halligan. “It might seem like a small thing, delivering boxes, but the families are just squealing with glee because this represents food and gifts for the kids.”

Megan Parsons and some of her friends do all the shopping and put together a hamper, and then deliver it to a less-fortunate family in the city.

“Sometimes, it’s mixed reactions (at the door) but for the most part it’s joy,” she said. “This year, we had three boys to buy for, so we were super excited finding things that they might like. So, it was really fun for us, too.

“Then, actually giving it to the family and seeing how much joy it brings them and really makes their holiday season better, it’s really wonderful to be part of both sides of the process.”

Kiefer Sheldon is part of a St. Paul’s High School alumni group that will spend an evening delivering hampers. In all, about 30 graduates of the high school will drop off as many as 10.

Sheldon, who graduated in 2012, connected with the group a couple of years ago and now co-ordinates their effort.

“People go through hard times, and so it’s special for us to help make their lives a little brighter during this time of the year. For me, it’s a humbling experience and makes me appreciate what I have,” he said.

jason.bell@freepress.mb.ca