When the Selkirk College Saints return to the Castlegar Recreation Complex on Friday night to get started on the second half of the British Columbia Intercollegiate Hockey League (BCIHL) season, student talent will be on display both on and off the ice.
League leading Trinity Western University arrives to the Kootenays this weekend for a crucial two-game series, but there will be more than great hockey for community members to check out. For the second half of the BCIHL season, the Saints are inviting different Selkirk College programs to shed light on their educational pathways.
“We’re really excited about this opportunity,” said Angelika Brunner, a student in the Social Services Worker Program. “Not only is it a great way to hype up school spirit and support a charity, but we can also show the public what kind of important community work our students are training for.”
The Selkirk College Human Services Department includes the Classroom & Community Support Worker Program, Early Childhood Care & Education Program and Mental Health & Addictions Associate Certificate Program.
There will be an information booth at the game and students will answer questions about the department programs at the college.
“Students in our department are training for some of the hardest and most needed jobs in our community: child care, elder care, family counseling, addictions counseling, support for people with disabilities and victims of abuse,” says Brunner.
“You name it, if people need support, that’s what we’re learning to do.”
Throughout the second half of the season, the hockey club will collaborate with other departments to promote its home games and fundraise for charitable causes.
“We have three objectives with this project,” said Human Services instructor Jane Green. “Support the Saints, promote the departments at the college, and round up donations for charitable causes. And we’re eager to come out to a game as a staff and student team to have some fun!”
The department hopes a lot of people will come out for the first game so they can set the bar high.
“If we do a good job of getting people through the door for the first game, the other departments will have to try to top us and we’ll just be that much more successful raising donations for our causes the rest of the year,” said Brunner.
The first charity of the year is the Selkirk College Student Food Bank, which was recently depleted. Paying tuition and scraping by on a meagre income leaves many students short on basic needs.
“It’s a shame that some people have to choose between food or an education,” says Brunner. “We want to help make it easier for those students who are struggling so hard to improve their future.”
The defending BCIHL champion Saints are currently five points behind league leading Trinity Western. Friday’s game starts at 7 p.m. and the department is urging fans to bring a non-perishable donation. The two teams will return to action on Saturday night with the puck dropping once again at 7 p.m.