Reason for the Rink
By Rochelle Bergman
Everyday of our lives we do things we need to do. We call them chores. Some chores are fun and some are well..er not so much fun. Lets all face it, work can be a chore sometimes. Some are yucky while others are kind of nice to do. Then there are the special ones, the chores we do from our heart and soul.
In Newfoundland, Canada there is a story about a dad, name Todd who loves his son, name Carter very much. (Now is the time to get up and grab a few Kleenex.) His son was born with huge medical problems from cerebral palsy, enlarged heart to deafness and brain bleed.
As a parent with a special needs child, the feeling of helplessness is overwhelming. It must have been unbearable as parents to not be able to help their child. They needed to do something to help so they came up with a two goal plan. Todd and his wife, Kimberly, decided to help support charities that help kids like their son. Todd came up with an interesting idea. It is what the NHL is doing right now and in every game. Any ideas? He built a skating rink in his huge back yard. The rink has boards, lines, and logos. They wanted to raise money by selling ad space on the boards. Thirty-five ads at $200 a piece= $7,000. The second goal was to increase public awareness about the different charities so Todd embedded the charity logos into the ice itself.
The name of the project: Reason for the Rink.
Once the local media heard about this story it got bigger faster. The donations poured in from local companies, from other families, and from local industries. All monies received go to the charities that help Carter. These charities include: Cerebral Palsy Association, Rainbow Riders Therapeutic Riding N.L., Easter Seals and the Mazol Shriners. So far the total amount of money raised is around $115,000.
His dad pays for the upkeep of the ice rink. The rink is popular. It was used for Winter Classic Style Hockey Games. Last year, Easter Seals used the rink for their Sledge Hockey day. It was the first time on any ice rink for many of the kids! That would have been a sight to see, all that laughter and excitement in the air!
Todd’s next goal: to reach $1,000,000 for the charities. What about the ice rink? As long as the rink is needed and used, Todd will be out in the backyard.
