For the Fort St. John Senior Flyers, as their moustaches grew last month, so did funds raised for the team’s Movember campaign, which officially wrapped up Wednesday night during the Flyers game against Spirit River at North Peace Arena.
With the original Movember game cancelled against the Rangers due to poor weather conditions on Dec. 1, the postponed date fell mid-week rather than on a Saturday.
The Flyers’ goal was to donate half of the night’s gate admission to the cause.
“We had a reasonable turnout on Wednesday,” said Flyers’ president Paul van Nostrand. “Let’s face it, it was very, very cold, one of the coldest nights of the year and it was a Wednesday, so we weren’t expecting a huge turnout but we’re happy with the people who did and supported the cause.”
With an attendance of roughly 130 fans, Wednesday’s game generated a total of $432.50 and with funds raised by individual players on the Flyers’ website, their total was pushed to just under $2,000.
“The website generated $1,495 and I thought that was terrific support,” van Nostrand said. “I’m pretty satisfied with the contributions that were made towards the website.”
It was the Flyers’ first time organizing a Movember campaign, which was spearheaded by Paul Wiens and van Nostrand hopes the team makes an annual affair of fundraising for men’s health.
“I thought it was great,” he added about the players’ Movember drive. “They chatted about it after practice one night and got the wheels turning and the website going and one thing turned into another and it grew.”
“This is our first kick at it and I’m sure it’ll become an annual thing like our Teddy Bear Boss and I’m sure it’ll continue to grow. I’m confident of that.”
The Flyers’ annual Teddy Bear Toss will take place on Saturday, Dec. 15 against Hythe at North Peace Arena at 8:30 p.m. The Flyers would like to remind the public to put the bears in plastic bags to protect the material from the moisture on the ice.
