There is an air of excitement in Canada’s capital city as we prepare to host the NHL’s All-Star game at the end of the month. The votes have been cast for the starting lineup, the NHL has filled in the rosters and there is no doubt that the NHL stars will shine when they arrive for the festivities. Since the theme of the month here in Ottawa is All-Stars, I would like to share a story about my favourite All-Stars – Jim and Shana Perkins and the Capital City Condors.
In December of 2010, AHL veteran Bryan Helmer sent an email out to friends, asking us to support the Capital City Condors as they took part in the Aviva Community Fund Challenge – an annual contest that awards funding to many worthy causes. As I clicked on the link Bryan sent, I began to learn more about the Condors program. It is not only a tremendous hockey program for Ottawa area children with special needs, but it opened my eyes to a problem in our hockey-mad culture that I did not realize existed – not everyone that wants to play hockey as a child has the opportunity to do so.
We often take it for granted, that if you want your child to play hockey in Canada, all you have to do is sign them up. For children with special needs though, that opportunity does not always exist. They may love the game, but they are often forced to sit on the sidelines as their brothers and sisters take part in games and tournaments. Along with all of the wonderful volunteers assisting them with the Condors program, Jim and Shana Perkins are working tirelessly to change this situation in Ottawa.
Several years ago, Jim’s father-in-law was telling him about a hockey team in Peterborough, Ontario for children with special needs. After visiting a tournament and seeing how the hockey program helps the children on and off the ice, Jim and Shana began discussing whether Ottawa had a similar program. They decided that if the city did not have such a program, then they would look into starting one.
In their first season four years ago, they had four children take to the ice. Last year, they had 40 kids and a waiting list. After seeing the benefits for the children in the community, they added a second team in a different part of the city this season. Now, both programs are full with a waiting list and Jim and Shana are considering adding more teams in the near future. The success of the Condors though is not measured by whether the kids excel on the ice; it is about being part of a team and having fun, while discovering a newfound confidence off the ice.
“It is all about making as much of their dream as possible come true,” Jim told me when we first met last year. “Some of them will make a lot of progress, we have seen that, and some of them won’t, but that’s okay.”
“We get so much out of this, the interaction with the kids and their parents. Many of these parents are like heroes to us – the tenderness that they demonstrate to their kids. It has been really moving for us. It is a great thing to be involved in, a ton of work, but we get a lot out of it in return. This isn’t just a team, it is a community.”
When looking at the success of the Capital City Condors, the key word as Jim explained, is community. It not only benefits the children that participate, it is an opportunity for parents facing similar challenges to work together and support each other. It can be difficult at times to find the help you need as the parent of a special needs child and the Condors program is a great place to find that support, as well as share experiences and information on available resources.
Ottawa Senators defenseman Matt Carkner and his wife Kary are big supporters of the program as well. Matt is a tremendous leader off the ice in the Ottawa community and it is not about being recognized for his work – it is about giving back. Matt and Kary have generously donated equipment, hockey bags and even matching tracksuits for all the kids for when they travel to tournaments. Last January, Matt had a special surprise for his friends on the Condors. They all took to the ice together at Scotiabank Place after an Ottawa Senators practise!
“I was trying to raise some awareness about the Aviva Challenge and I organized it through the Senators PR department,” Matt explained during one of our interviews. “The kids all got to come out to Scotiabank Place and skate around, and some of them got to be on TV. Bobby Butler and Brian Lee stayed out with me too and they were just great with the kids. The children were really accepted by the whole team – the Senators organization thinks the project is great.”
Last spring, my wife Dianne and I attended the Condors year-end banquet. It was a wonderful evening and a night we will never forget. It was fun to watch the kids interact with Matt too. Everywhere that he went, five or six of the children from the Condors moved with him. It was amazing to see Matt make time for all of them, with a hug, a high-five, a quick chat or an autograph. When it came to his friends from the Condors, he had all the time in the world for them.
I’d like to end this week’s article on a personal note by saying thank you to Jim and Shana, Matt and Kary, and everyone that is involved with the Capital City Condors. You are all a source of inspiration to me and you get my vote as Ottawa’s true All-Stars!
For more information on the Capital City Condors, you can visit their website: www.capitalcitycondors.org
You can also follow them on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/CondorsGM
Andrew Rodger
Andrew Rodger is the resident writer for the NHL Alumni Association (www.nhlalumni.net), operates his own website (The Voice of Sport.com) and he is a contributor on CBC News Now. You can also follow him on Twitter (@ARodgerTVOS). He shares his thoughts from inside the NHL Alumni Association and from around today’s NHL every Wednesday here at blog.xhockeyproducts.com.
