The Niagara hockey team has joined forces with the Make-A-Wish Foundation in an effort to enrich the lives of children with life-threatening illnesses. Members of the Purple Eagles ice hockey team have volunteered to grow moustaches as part of the “Man-Up with a Moustache” fundraiser during the international Movember campaign.
Movember is an annual event where men grow moustaches during the month of November to raise awareness for a cause. The Purple Eagles have chosen to support the movement in memory of honorary teammate Meghan Redenbach.
The Purple Eagles had the opportunity to become part of the life of 13-year old Meghan in 2009 through Volunteer Assistant Coach, Jeff Weber and the Make-A-Wish-Foundation in the midst of her three-year battle with ovarian cancer. During the short period of time spent with the team, Meghan opened the minds and hearts of every individual, teaching the team plenty concerning overcoming adversity coining the mantra ‘Man Up’ when faced with obstacles.
The team is continually dedicated to honoring her ‘Man Up’ mentality by contributing to a very serious cause and they are asking the Niagara community to help in their efforts.
You can support the Purple Eagles in their efforts during the home-series versus the Sacred Heart Pioneers at Dwyer Arena on Friday, Nov. 30 and Saturday, Dec. 1. There will be donation boxes located near the ticket office, will-call and the ‘Chuck-a-Puck’ table at each home game throughout the weekend with fundraising totals added up after the second period of the Dec. 1 contest. All donations received will be donated in Meghan’s honor to furthering the mission of Make-A-Wish, which is focused on serving children with life-threatening medical conditions.
The Purple Eagles are also asking that the Niagara community in attendance during Friday’s contest against the Pioneers to rock their ‘stache and if you can’t grow your own, the first 500 fans to attend the game will get a stick-on ‘stache. A prize will be provided for the best-looking, most well-groomed mo’ of the bunch!
Fans that are unable to attend either of the games, but still wish to contribute can do so with checks made payable to Make-A-Wish Metro New York and Western New York and send to the address provided below.
Attn: Head Coach, David Burkholder
Hockey Office, P.O. Box 2009
Niagara University, NY 14109
It’s moustache season, and only one question remains.
How will you ‘Man-Up’ this Movember?
