Charity Begins at Home, but knows no Boundaries

Pat LaFontaine is a genuinely busy man. He was even busier last week as he unveiled the latest initiative of his Companions in Courage foundation with the help of the NHL media outlets. The announcement of new technology Microsoft XBOX 360 portable kiosks came on Wednesday of last week. On Thursday LaFontaine was a guest on just about every show NHL.com had to offer. This man does not tire when he is trying to get his message out. What he has done for ill children since 1997 is just beyond admirable, it’s remarkable.

Having personally dealt with the death of a young sibling long before the video game era, I can relate to how much these Lion’s Den rooms mean to desperately ill children and their families. There is hardly anything you can do to get a young child’s mind off what is happening to them in a hospital. But with the power of the internet and the new technology that abounds, they can at least have a few hours when they don’t have to think about it.

My stepbrother was confined to a hospital bed for the last months of his life, just waiting -- waiting for a miracle cure or his last breath. There was not much he or anyone could do to take his mind away from the moment. If there had been something like these new game kiosks that could have been brought into his room, perhaps his last weeks would have been a little easier. They cannot take away the pain, but they can take a mind to another place. Check the NHL.com article for all the details of this new technology and how LaFontaine is bringing a little comfort to so many families. http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=361564

Also notice that both Rick DiPietro and Ted Nolan spent a little time last week on this project too. I haven’t been able to get any details on their experiences, but I’ll keep trying. This seemed like a no-brainer for Rick to be involved since he has always been great with the kids. But I thought Ted Nolan more as the Charity GOLF type than the Video Game type. But I think that’s just because he’s closer to my age than to Ricky’s.

Ted is no stranger to charity foundations, as he has his own Ted Nolan Foundation to benefit Canadian aboriginal youth and will be busy this off season with various Canadian community charities as a keynote speaker on May 29th and manager of his own annual charity golf event.
Meanwhile, Mike Sillinger, and his new hip back home in Regina, with his partner Jamie Heward have their Shooting Stars Foundation and are getting ready for their June 12th and 13th events.
Check their website at http://www.shootingstarsfoundation.ca

In February, Bruno Gervais teamed up with the Red Cross in Nassau County as a celebrity spokesman, and he also heads up another Red Cross based charity in Canada. Also, we all know how much work Mr. & Mrs. Brendan Witt have put into their Witters Hitters, also a children’s based charity to bring children with cancer, and their families, to enjoy a hockey game they wouldn’t normally get to see.

There are currently 904 players in the NHL, I’m sure there must be about 500 NHL based charity foundations too. It’s endless. Maybe over the summer, when I’m bored out of my mind without hockey, I’ll go looking for all of them on the net. But it is nice to know that the guys, who put so much of themselves out on the ice, put so much of themselves off it as well.

For something the nay sayers tell us is such a violent sport, it’s got some of the greatest guys on the planet.