Tag: Rett Syndrome

“TITAN GIVE BACK DAY – A HUGE SUCCESS” – by Scott Morrison

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It’s not every day fans and players alike finish a game actually applauding the officials. But the unthinkable did happen Saturday afternoon. That the officials were carrying sticks, not whistles, was a big reason for the phenomenon.  But still…

I had the great pleasure to be a part of a truly special event last Saturday, as the 1999 Bantam Toronto Titans faced off against a group of GTHL officials, to help raise funds and awareness for Ref4Rett, a charity that is trying to make a difference and find a cure for Rett Syndrome, a rare neurodevelopment condition.

The bottom line is the bantams, as part of Titan Give Back Day, raised a remarkable $20,000. That is a large number. I was pleased to be a part of the ceremonial faceoff and to coach the officials, who were assembled by Kevin Morton. I joked mine was the toughest coaching assignment around because we all know officials don’t see very well, they certainly don’t listen, and there is a reason why they are officiating.

But the boys were pretty darn impressive, as were the top-ranked Titans. Also involved as actual game officials were Darcy Tucker, who couldn’t resist grabbing a stick, and Pat Flatley, who enjoys waving off goals. The game, if you were wondering, ended 9-9, but the big winner was Ref4Rett.

A big shout out to Sharlene Israel and Dr. Jo and everyone who helped them in making the day the success it was.  And kudos to the entire Titans organization,  which had all its teams giving back, from the minor atoms all the way up to midgets, from distributing food to the hungry to visiting seniors and nursing homes to cleaning up a park to…the list goes on.

All good causes and a great reminder to all involved that sometimes we get caught up in wins and losses, but there is a bigger picture we can’t lose sight of beyond  our world of fun and games and sometimes we all need to be reminded.

Congratulations to all the Titans teams – on an off the ice.

Scott Morrison

Executive Producer, Hockey at Rogers Sportsnet

Pictures of the finale Event – Team Ref4Rett vs 99 Titans

Ceremonial Puck Drop – Alex Daigle, Pat Flatley, Scott Morrison, Darcy Tucker, and Kevin Morton

Coach Scott Morrison and His REF4RETT Team

Ref Tucker Making the Call!

Player/Coach Kevin Morton Stopped by Adam Scott

Darcy Tucker joins in the battle!

 

End of a great day!

1999 Toronto Titans vs. Ref4Rett

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On December 14, 2013, the 1999 Toronto Titan will be hosting a Charity hockey game against Team Ref4Rett (a group of officials).  The entire Titans organization will be coming together at the game as part the ‘Titans Give Back Day!’  There will be a draw to win a suite at a Toronto Raptors game and some great raffle items.  The game will take place from 3:15 to 4:30 at the new Buckingham Arena (57 Carl Hall Rd, Toronto, ON) at DownsviewPark.  We are honored and humbled that Darcy Tucker (Former Toronto Maple Leaf) and Pat Flatley (Former New York Islander) will be the officials for this game and Scott Morrison (from Sportsnet) will be dropping the ceremonial puck as well as the acting coach for the referees.  The facility is accessible and has a heated area to view the game.  Feel free to come out and support us!

1999 Toronto Titans support Ref4Rett

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We are pleased to announce that the 1999 Toronto Titans team will be supporting this year’s Ref4Rett initiative. The Toronto Titans Hockey Club (www.torontotitans.ca), a longstanding and proud member of the Greater Toronto Hockey League, has designated Saturday, December 14, 2013 as “Titans Give Back Day!” As part of the “Titans Give Back Day”, each “AAA” club within the organization has been asked to designate a specific community service activity or charitable initiative and to take concrete steps aimed at “giving back”. The 1999 team has selected Ref4Rett.

The team’s support of Ref4Rett will include:

1. The sale of raffle tickets for an opportunity to win a suite at a Toronto Raptors game. Draw will be on December 14, 2013.

2. Toronto Wolverines Hockey Tournament that runs from November 22 to November 24 at the Ice Sports Etobicoke (Toronto) will be hosting a Silent Auction that includes several great items including; Toronto Maple Leaf Tickets and several signed NHL players’ jerseys.

3. On December 14, 2013 there will be a Charity hockey game between 1999 team and a group of officials. The entire Titan organization will be in attendance at this game. The game will take place from 3:15 to 4:30 at the new Buckingham Arena at Downsview Park. Any officials that are interested in playing in the game, please contact us.

Toronto Titans Logo

2013-14 Ref4Rett Season

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As the end of summer quickly approaches, Elle has just finished her first day of school and hockey season has started.  Elle is back in Mrs. D’s class for another year of Kindergarten, which she is really excited about.  We want to thank the Youth Ambassador’s at Scared Heart for their frozen smoothee fundraiser in June.  The proceeds of their fundraiser were donated to the Ontario Rett Syndrome Association (O.R.S.A.) in honour of Elle.

As I start to gear up for another officiating season, we are planning on continuing Ref4Rett for the 2013-2014 season.  We had such a successful 2012/13 fundraising season, and fundraising for Rett Syndrome research continues to remain a cause that is so dear to Lory and I.  This means that I will be donating $20 from every game that I officiate this season in the O.HA. to O.R.S.A..  We are also planning on having the 2nd Annual Ref4Rett Fundraising Event with the Paris Mounties at their last regular season home game on February 1st, 2014 against the Burford Bulldogs.  We are hoping that a combination of donations, sponsorships and items sold at our Silent Auction to exceed the $48,166 that we raised for research last season.

Lory and I are just in the process of preparing our application to O.R.S.A. and I am officiating some exhibition games this week.  So the fundraising season begins!!

Keep up-to-date on what is happening with Ref4Rett by following our blog or on Twitter or liking us on Facebook.  Thank you for all the support that everyone has shown us as we continue our efforts to raise awareness and hope to one day find a cure for Rett Syndrome.

Ref4Rett @ WGSHT

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For the fourth consecutive season, a group of friends, fellow referees and I have entered a team into the Walter Gretzky Street Hockey Tournament (#WGSHT).

This year, in an effort to continue to raise awareness for Rett Syndrome, we have changed our team name to REF4RETT and have created a custom jersey for the tournament.  This year, we have some new faces in the line up and are expecting a stronger team and a better finish than our best finish of 16th last year.

Our games are at Lion’s Park in Brantford and we play the following  games on Saturday June 1:

11:00 am- Rink 5 (Parking Lot) vs. Zidilicky My Balls

2:00 pm- Rink 6 (Parking Lot) vs. Premature Shooters

5:00 pm- rink 15 (Anges HodgeSchool) vs. Sober Bullets.
We are also hoping for some playoff action on Sunday June 2 as well. 

Please feel free to come down and cheer us on (we need the support), follow the score on this website, http://bhitourney.goalline.ca/schedule.php?league_id=8287&lang=1 or watch for our twitter updates.

Custom Ref4Rett Jersey for the Walter Gretzky Street Hockey Tournament
Custom Ref4Rett Jersey for the Walter Gretzky Street Hockey Tournament

Thank You

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This Ref4Rett journey started just under a month ago, and I have to say that I am so incredibly overwhelmed at the outpouring of support for both myself, my family and for Ref4Rett.

I need to thank the members of ORSA for jumping on board and fully supporting the Ref4Rett initiative…I really wouldn’t have been able to pull this together so quickly without their support.

Thank you to our family, friends and colleagues who have all been so supportive – emotionally, through donations and by helping to spread the word about this most worthy cause.

The most surprising in all of this, are those acts of kindness from perfect strangers, who with so much compassion, are willing to go above and beyond to help me achieve my goal.

With just under two months left until game day, I’m hoping that everyone can continue to help to spread the word and raise awareness.  Remember you can always “like” Ref4Rett on Facebook or follow me on Twitter.

Thanks again!!   Your love, compassion and generosity do not go unnoticed.

UNLESS

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Below is a blog posted by another parent who has a daughter with Rett Syndrome, I could not help but post it here because these are my exact thoughts and feelings, one month after Elle has been diagnosed.  I could not have said it any better.

“Unless – There’s so much hope, potential, and possibility contained in that word. But also risk and uncertainty.  Unless we try, we’ll never know if it can be done. Unless someone’s prepared to stick their neck out, nothing will ever change. Unless we do it, who will?

For as long as I’ve known about Rett, I’ve been waging a personal battle with the whole business of ‘acceptance’.  Initially it was a simple case of struggling to accept that this thing had happened to my daughter, and this was the direction our family life had taken.  Then, as I learned more about the condition and the research, I realized that it wasn’t simply about adjusting my attitude – but that Rett syndrome itself might change. That some extraordinary work is going on in labs around the world, and girls like Amy might one day be unlocked. That proper, serious, clear-headed people believe it’s possible.

Knowing that, how could we tell ourselves that Amy is ‘meant’ to be this way, and that Rett syndrome is inseparable from who she really is? It became clear that it’s entirely possible to love someone the way they are, while also fiercely wanting them to be set free of the thing that holds them back…..Lots of people were kind enough to tell me they agreed, and one friend introduced me to the word ‘acceptists’ to describe those who would try to convince us that accepting our children means accepting that we shouldn’t want to ‘fix’ them. (Like anyone would ever say that to a parent whose child had cancer or similar.)

Unless we say this – unless we imagine what living without Rett syndrome would be like for the children (and adults) who have it – unless we raise the funds to support the scientists who are working on the thing that means more to us than anything else – unless we stay focused and avoid getting side-tracked by trivia – girls like Amy will stay trapped. We don’t have to accept. And we shouldn’t.”

– Catriona Moore, November 26, 2012

Paris Mounties Supporting Event

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On January 26, 2013 the Paris Mounties will be supporting Ref4Rett and the Ontario Rett Syndrome Association (O.R.S.A.) at their last regular season home game against the Dundas Blues.  Game time is 7:30 at the Brant Sports Complex in Paris, ON.

This event will consist of a raffle and a silent auction.  We are currently inquiring for event sponsorship, silent auction opportunities or donations.  The goal of the event is to raise $15,000.  I have personally made the commitment to donate $20 for every game that I officiate for the rest of my career to O.R.S.A.

Event Sponsorships are limited to 10 corporations at a cost of $300.00 each.  With an event sponsorship, you will receive and direct link from our website (www.ref4rett.com) including a logo, advertising on a pre-event posters (minimum of 50), an ad in the game day brochure, announcements on the Public Address system and additional social media exposure on Facebook and Twitter.

Silent Auction sponsors are also available, we will have 3 spots available at a $300 price point and 5 spots available at a $200 price point and the option to supply an item for the silent auction with a minimum value of $50.  With this sponsorship, you will receive a link on the website, mention at the silent auction table and in the game day brochure and additional social media exposure on Facebook and Twitter.  Please check the event tab on the website for silent auction items and a list of our corporate sponsors.