Saturday April 22, the Cold Lake Penguins Rugby Football Club hosted an event to support the local Big Brothers and Big Sisters organization.
Boys and Girls aged 8 – 12 got to participate in an introduction to rugby session at the Cold Lake High School. The event culminated from the initiative brought forth from Sand Moshi who is a Big Brother, a Penguin Rugby Player and married to Melanie who is also a Big Sister. The Penguins were motivated to support the local organization by exposing the member players to the experience of volunteering, chance to be a mentor and to become aware of the BBBS organization, as well as share the sport that they are passionate about. Donna Benoit, the Program Facilitator for Big Brother Big Sisters welcomes more events like this. She notes that there is a direct need for kids that are on the wait list for Big Brothers and Sisters. One of the goals of the BBBS is to get children active and involved so they can feel like they are part of something bigger than themselves.
Rugby players from the high school girls Rebels team, and from the men and women Penguin club participated. Jared Nichol, a long time Penguin, teacher and coach at the CLHS lead the event that included introduction and basic skills, lunch and a series of rugby related games. The event was considered a big success. The Penguins have been in Cold Lake for more than 25 years and is proud to get the chance to give back to the community. Rugby is commonly known as “a hooligan sport played by gentleman”. The club is happy to demonstrate the civility side of the diverse membership that is made up of all types not excluding shift workers, professionals, military, parents and all degrees of skill and experience.
