VOL. 68 NO. 4
T H E PA P E R T H AT ’ S G O I N G P L A C E S !
MONDAY, JANUARY 26, 2015
Rangers ready to talk
Players from the Vegreville Jr. B Rangers are taking an active role in promoting mental health awareness in the community. Recently, the team took time for an afternoon of pool with seniors from the Sunshine Club, and hope to be back again for another round. On January 30, the Rangers will be participating in the Bell “Let’s Talk” campaign at their second-last home game of the season against Killam. (Rosanne Fortier/Photo)
Michael Simpson Editor When Clara Hughes blew through town last summer as part of Bell’s “Let’s Talk” campaign around mental health awareness, she left a good impression. This past month, MODEL Project Coordinator Kelly Sawatzky and Colleen PidzarkoArmitage, Program Manager for the Veg-Al Drug Society were having a discussion about how to resurrect the “Let’s Talk” campaign in Vegreville when the Vegreville Jr. B Rangers, who are working with MODEL Project Success Coach Tracy Laschowski, came up. “It was an organic occurrence,” Sawatzky said. “Through a conversation I had with Colleen in December, we recognized the work Tracy has been doing this season with the Rangers as a good fit. When Tracy approached the players to discuss the idea, they all agreed it would be great to be a platform to talk about mental health awareness to the public at a game.” The January 30 home game
for the Rangers will be their ‘Bell “Let’s Talk”’ game, in which the Rangers will be broadcasting some prerecorded messages about mental health awareness, handing out pamphlets with information about mental health capacity building, and displaying some posters where individual players share their thoughts on the topic. “Everyone’s very excited,” Laschowski said. “The Rangers have recognized that they’re role models for younger kids in the community and that in the past there’s been a stigma associated with hockey players as these irresponsible individuals. The team’s committed to working to dispel that image. We’ve had great support in meeting with Head Coach Derek Sweet-Coulter this season and talking about his goal for the players as well. In his mind, he’s growing boys into men, fully contributing members of society, and what the players are doing here is exactly that – they’re giving back. The team’s executive is
fully behind the work that we’re doing as well. I believe that seeing players talking about mental health issues and working to remove the stigma will definitely be seen by younger kids, and that’s going to have a strong positive impact on them.” Laschowski’s connection to the team started earlier than this season. Her brother was a player who wrapped up his ice-time with the Rangers four years earlier. While watching him, Tracy recognized the impact that the hockey team has on youths in the community, and since coming on to work with the MODEL Project, she’s been fortunate in having a coach who feels player development has a strong mental health angle to it. It’s a trend that already has major sports teams like the Edmonton Oilers and the Edmonton Eskimo’s working in the same capacity in front of a larger audience. As far as the MODEL Project is concerned, their mandate with this year’s contract wasn’t just about tackling mental health
issues before they’re a problem, it was about working beyond the former boundaries of the schools and library in Veg, Sawatzky explained. “I’m very impressed with the seriousness with which they’re approaching Tracy’s messages about mental health and applying it to their lives.” Recently, the players took time with Laschowski to spend an afternoon playing pool with seniors at the
Sunshine Club in Vegreville. They played longer than they expected, and asked the club if they could come back again after having a good time. “They boys want to continue to be involved even after the season,” Laschowski said. “My big dream is to mentor the team in mental health capacity building, and then hopefully they’ll go on to mentor other people in their lives. It all ties into a bigger picture where communities are stronger and safer. I’m very passionate about that. I think the Rangers are too.”
Celebrate Family Literacy Day on January 27 See page 8 for story
Victor Petruk serves life sunny side up See page 15 for story
Love in the Library See page 17 for story