The Estevan Mercury is sponsoring a Teddy Bear Toss, in support of the Salvation Army, for the third straight year.
People are encouraged to bring a teddy bear to the CanElson Drilling Estevan Bruins game against the Kindersley Klippers on Dec. 10 at 7 p.m. When the Bruins score their first goal of the game, fans will throw their teddy bears onto the ice.
The bears will then be turned over to the Estevan Salvation Army.
If the Bruins don’t score, then the fans will be asked to throw the bears onto the ice late in the game.
Ronza Raynard, the co-ordinator of Family Services at the Salvation Army, said they want to do whatever they can to make Christmas a better time for everybody. The Teddy Bear Toss is one of those ways.
“It can be very stressful at this time of year for a lot of families,” said Raynard.
The Salvation Army will have bears available for people to purchase by donation.
“It’s such a big family event,” said Raynard. “I know last year it was a great success, so we’re looking forward to it being just as well received as in previous years.”
Last year’s event had a great turnout, and they filled many bags with bears. New and second-hand bears were collected.
Raynard noted the Community Hamper Association will be on hand to promote their Angel Tree program and other initiatives, and the Angel Tree will also accept donations of new teddy bears and other toys.
Estevan Mercury publisher Brant Kersey said the Teddy Bear Toss is a great event to be associated with.
“Any time you can give back to the community and have the Salvation Army involved, it’s really an honour to be part of something like that,” said Kersey. “The Mercury tries to do as much as they can in the community.”
The paper sponsors such events as the 2016 Saskatchewan Summer Games and the 2016 Crescent Point Energy Western Canada Cup.
He encourages spectators to arrive early, in case the Bruins score quickly. In the first two years, there were concerns over what would happen if the Bruins didn’t score during the game. But this year the Bruins have the most explosive offence in the league, and have scored early in several home games.
Kersey expects to see a big crowd the night of the Teddy Bear Toss, and he hopes to see at least 1,000 bears tossed on the ice when the Bruins score their first goal.
