Ambar SyedOn Saturday, February 15th, 2020, the Thunderbirds hosted DND Appreciation Night at the Scotiabank Centre in Halifax, NS, as they took on the Saskatchewan Rush. There were various activations throughout the night. The teams wore military-themed jerseys, which were auctioned off at the end of the game with proceeds going to Veterans Emergency Transition Services (VETS) Canada. In addition, the Thunderbirds donated a portion of the proceeds from the sale of special military-themed t-shirts, 51/49, and ticket sales to the charity.
Thunderbirds President and CEO John Catalano said, “The Thunderbirds are proud to support a great organization like VETS Canada. We look forward to working with VETS Canada at our next home game to provide vital resources and assistance to Veterans of the Canadian Armed Forces and the RCMP.”
In October 2019, the Thunderbirds announced their partnership with VETS Canada for the 2019-2020 season. VETS Canada is a federally registered non-profit charity that helps homeless and at-risk veterans reintegrate into civilian life. They are primarily based on volunteers, with a network of 135,000 people across 18 cities in Canada. With a large military presence in Halifax, the partnership was aimed to support a charity benefiting the immediate community.
Jim Lowther, VETS Canada, President and, Co-founder spoke on the event. “We are thrilled to be working with the Halifax Thunderbirds organization on this important game honouring the men and women who serve our country,” he said.
“Personally, we are long time lacrosse fans, so the fact that we now have this amazing team in our city, coupled with the fact that VETS Canada will be recipients of some of the proceeds of this important game, is just incredible!” he added.
