After spending two hours outfitting youth with hockey equipment at A.J. LaRue Arena in Haliburton Aug. 28, Manny Lawson said the most satisfying thing, aside from seeing the smiles on kids’ faces, was being able to tell parents all items were free.
“Some of them couldn’t believe it. They were saying, ‘wait, I don’t have to pay for any of this?” Lawson said, noting some got quite emotional. “That makes all the work worthwhile and makes us want to do this every year.”
Now in its third year, the offering is meant to remove barriers for County kids wanting to play hockey. Lawson collected all types of equipment, including sticks, helmets, gloves, pads, shorts and skates, for youth aged three to 17. Sets were laid out on tables for people to choose from.
Lawson, her son Lucas and his friend, Carter McCord, were at the arena between 10 a.m. and noon, matching 35-40 kids with complimentary gear. Lawson said a few moms looking to lace up the skates for the first time in years also took some items home.
While she didn’t charge anyone a penny, Lawson did ask for donations to support area food banks, with all items dropped off in the donation bin at Haliburton Foodland over the weekend.
Since launching, Lawson said the equipment swap has supported around 165 youth.
With lots of sticks, pads and skates left over, Lawson is planning to run another event in January.
“Kids grow so quickly, and we’d love to continue helping families keep their children on the ice without the expense of constantly replacing equipment,” Lawson said. “It is wonderful to see our community come together to make hockey more accessible to local families… if you have youth gear you would like to donate, please keep it and bring it to either the January swap, or next August.”
To contact Lawson, email mannyfergie@ hotmail.com.
