When the Peterborough Petes and Kitchener Rangers face off on Family Day at the Peterborough Memorial Centre, Five Counties Children’s Centre clients will be the game’s real winners.
Tickets are now available for the “Next Gen Game”, a highly anticipated annual event in partnership with the Peterborough Petes that lets Five Counties kids and families enjoy and take part in different aspects of the OHL experience.
Tickets for the matinee game on Monday, February 17 are $15 and can be purchased through Five Counties or at the Memorial Centre box office.
When purchased through Five Counties, 100 per cent of ticket proceeds will support kids’ treatment services at the regional children’s centre. Donation buckets will also be passed around during the game for fans who want to support Five Counties.
“I think the Next Gen Game with the Petes is one of the most exciting and inspirational dates on the Five Counties calendar,” Five Counties spokesperson Bill Eekhof told kawarthaNOW. “It truly couldn’t be better timed than Family Day because it is all about family. The game also couldn’t be better named, since it’s about the next generation of Five Counties kids.”
The centre’s kids and their families all play a neat role, Eekhof noted, especially those chosen to enjoy a behind-the-scenes experience with the Petes.
“Some get to play the coach, even giving the Petes a pre-game pep talk, some take on PA announcer duties, and we’ve also had our kids joining the play-by-play broadcast team,” he said. “The Petes are great partners for the game, as the team pulls out all the stops. Our kids even get to sign a one-day contract with the Petes.”
Nova, a client of Five Counties, will take part with her family in the ceremonial puck drop at 2:05 p.m. Now three years old, Nova was born with Down syndrome and started coming to Five Counties when she was two months old.
Another Five Counties client, Kelton, had his design selected to go on miniature hockey sticks that the Petes have ordered for the game.
Kelton’s mom Kristin said her son’s reaction of disbelief — “Really, I won?” — was quickly replaced by excitement about seeing his artwork turned from concept into reality on the mini-sticks.
“Over the past couple of years, we’ve had the chance to attend Petes games through Five Counties, and they’ve provided such amazing opportunities for families like ours,” Kristin said in a media release.
She said she is grateful to Five Counties for the support it provides to families like hers, and also appreciates organizations like the Petes and Five Counties teaming up to offer meaningful opportunities for families in the community.
“We love going to Petes games and are looking forward to going again with Five Counties,” Kristin added.
The goal is to sell out the matinee game. While the Next Gen Game with the Petes is a fundraiser for Five Counties, the “fun” elements of the day make it a memorable affair for the centre’s families, staff, volunteers and supporters.
“There’s no better day than Family Day to team up with the Peterborough Petes for the annual Next Gen Game,” said Scott Pepin, CEO of Five Counties. “We will have many members of our Five Counties family at the game, and we invite other families in our community to come out and show their support for Five Counties while cheering on the Petes to victory.”
Additional festivities are also being planned at the Memorial Centre as part of this year’s Next Gen Game.
A free family skate for Five Counties ticket holders runs from 11 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. All skaters must wear helmets, and will be asked to leave the building at the end of the skate, returning at 1 p.m. when the Memorial Centre opens for the game.
Pre-game festivities kick off at 1 p.m. when Five Counties staff and volunteers will be offering face painting by donation and a giant Lego set up for kids to enjoy, and will be available to provide information on the services at Five Counties.
There will also be a raffle before and during the game, with prizes including a golf foursome at Peterborough Golf and Country Club, a Taylor Swift VIP gift box, two ticket vouchers to a Petes game, and a gift card to the Peterborough Petes store.
More prizes will be available in chuck-a-pep (or chuck-a-puck) during the second period intermission. For $10, participants will receive three rubber pucks to toss onto the ice, with those whose pucks land closest to the centre ice circle winning prizes such as a Crayola gift set and sweet tooth gift basket.
Five Counties Children’s Centre provides speech, physio, and occupational therapies, as well as other treatment services for kids and youth across the Kawarthas region. The centre is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, having first opened its doors in Peterborough in 1975.
