Lions Club of Medicine Hat member Wayne Robinson organizes hockey and ringette gear last August at the Hockey Hounds Arena during 2018's Gear Up campaign.--NEWS FILE PHOTO
mcranker@medicinehatnews.com@MHNmocranker
The Lions Club of Medicine Hat is getting ready for one of its biggest campaigns of the year.
The organization is hosting its eighth annual Gear Up event next weekend, giving families in need the opportunity to get free hockey and ringette equipment for their kids.
“The economy is tough and there’s a lot of new families in town and families with young kids,” said club member James Higgins. “We know there’s a lot of kids sitting inside and playing video games – this is our way of getting kids out of the house and active.
“This is our eighth year and we’re expecting upwards of 80 kids to need at least one piece of gear.”
The event has been compressed to two days this year, with Saturday being the equipment donation day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Hockey Hounds Arena. Any families with extra hockey gear in usable condition are asked to drop it off in this time frame.
Sunday is pickup day, where any families in need are able to pick up gear for free. Sunday runs 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the area and it is a first-come, first-served event.
Higgins says the program is getting more popular every year and that sports are getting more difficult for young Canadians to get involved in.
“Anyone can go down to a sports store to see how much a pair of skates cost,” said Higgins. “A lot of families struggle with paying for equipment, so it’s impossible when it comes to paying for registration and travel.
“This program helps families cut out a part of those costs.”
Higgins says all gear in good, used condition will be accepted and looked over by representatives from Medicine Hat Minor Hockey. Things like used jocks, mouth guards and hockey socks are not needed. Hockey bags, goalie equipment and sticks are also accepted by Gear Up.
Anyone looking for more information can call Higgins at 403-527-0140.
