Poverty Awareness in York Region

For Immediate Release: March 22 - 2010

Re: 7th Annual Friendly Neighbourhood Youth Road hockey Challenge – Results -

Location(s): Youth Challenge – Sat March 20 - Newmarket Community Centre – 220 Duncan St (off Main S) - NE Parking lot. Register inside.

For Editorial:

Poverty Action for Change Coalition (PACC), in cooperation with local community groups presented the 6th Annual - Friendly Neighbourhood Youth Roadhockey Challenge

Youths from Georgina, Newmarket, Aurora, Richmond Hill and coming from as far as Scarborough competed in the 6th Annual Friendly Neighbourhood Youth Road hockey Challenge this past Saturday at the Newmarket Community Centre’s parking lot for likely the last event ever to be held there before the arena is demolished.

The free event, which stresses friendliness over competitiveness, offers male and female youths 12 to 18 an opportunity to display community pride and leadership through forming and entering teams representing their own neighbourhoods, streets, schools, clubs or groups. Individual players wanting to play could also come out so no one is turned away.

The tourney was won in a hotly contested final with the Glenway Maple Leafs narrowly defeating the Quaker Hill Boys 3-2 in regulation time. In the Consolation finals, the Mulock / Clearmeadow Oreos defeated the Brayfield Bears 7-0 in a game not indicative of the score.

One worthy youth was chosen for the education ward – The Mike Thornhill Memorial Award – in memory of a youth from Mulock Village in Newmarket (where the challenge was first started) who was tragically killed outside a local donut shop by another youth. The award is given to the youth participant nominated for displaying leadership in the community more than hockey prowess.

This year’s award winner was Oreos team organizer and player Haris Chaudhry. Haris not only displayed leadership by going out and forming a team, holding practices and putting up posters he also encouraged(challenged) another team to form and as well has been an active valuable volunteer in other community events. Their team also was a great representation of diversity and a new generation of Canadian kids taking up the great Canadian tradition of roadhockey. All the youths were winners on this day!

Tom Pearson
Event Organizer