Our sincerest thanks to everyone involved in the 2008 Cameron Smith Friendship Tournament!  

By all accounts, this years Cameron Smith Friendship Tournament was a huge Success with more than $15,000 having been raised through the various community initiatives held over the February 1st-3rd weekend.
 
"On behalf of the Cameron Smith Organizing Committee, we'd like to thank the teams that participated in this years tournament, our volunteers, and our sponsors who so graciously stepped forward to help us out again this year", stated Garry Brownrigg, Chair of the Cameron Smith Memorial Fund. "This years tournament raised more than $15,000, nearly double the amount raised last year".
 
Despite having grown from 8 to 16 teams this years participants readily adopted the dual theme of community spirit and friendship, upon which the tournament was originally founded. Examples of individual and team generosity were abundant. Multiple Kanata Bantam A & B teams independently ran bottle drives, raising more than $1,000 in combined funds for their efforts. The Kanata Kaos, Bantam B3 team issued a challenge to all teams participating in this years tournament to donate $0.25 for each goal scored in the tournament, which raised approximately $80-$100 per team that participated. The pancake breakfast, held by the Kanata Volunteer Firefighters was a huge success, feeding nearly 200 hungry participants and raising $500 in the process and members of Kanata's Officiating Program volunteered their services for the entire tournament, allowing the tournament organizers to realize a cost savings of $2,500; that last two events having been organized and coordinated by a great community volunteer, KMHA official and volunteer Kanata firefighter Gary Kelleher.
 
This years Cameron Smith Friendship Game saw the Kanata Sting face off against the Kanata Kings, in a game that demonstrated the true meaning of friendship in every sense of the word. Prior to the game, CJOH TV's Carolyn Waldo did an outstanding job hosting the pre-game ceremonies that saw cheque presentations from the major tournament sponsors: the Kanata Sports Club, TEKSmed Services Inc, The Aim Group, and the TD Bank (Eagleson Road) along with numerous individual and team presentations. In addition, local artist Jill Alexander presented Cameron's parents with a customized Blazers locker room print, a copy of which is being provided to the KMHA and KGHA for display in their respective trophy cases.
 
In terms of the final standings for this years tournament. The Nepean Bullets won the Division A Pool, beating out the Kanata Icecaps in an exciting 2-1 final game. The Meadowvale Hawks (Mississauga) won the Division B Pool in a 4-2 game versus the WEHL Hornets. For the Division C Pool the National Car Rental (North Bay) were victors over the Kanata Flames in a 5-0 final game for the Division C Pool, in what turned out to be one of the best examples of community spirit and friendship as the North Bay team presented their finalist opponents with tokens of appreciation in recognition that their team may have been placed in the wrong pool, as they had dominated the C Pool throughout the tournament. Final results of the Divisional Finals are now on-line.
 
This years Cameron Smith Friendship Tournament capped yet another exciting year of progress towards the $100,000 goal set for the Cameron Smith Memorial Fund. "In addition to the monies raised this year, we received our Letters Patent dated Jan 11, 2008 under the Canada Corporations Act making the Cameron Smith Memorial Fund an official non-profit organization", stated Brownrigg. "With the non-profit designation and associated banking accounts now in place we have requested a transfer of funds from the KMHA, whom has held the monies realized through the initial Friendship Game and subsequent fundraising efforts on our behalf since 2005. In addition, we are now applying for the Cameron Smith Memorial Fund to become a registered charity, a process that will require the Fund to complete and maintain a yearly audit process".
 
On a personal note, stated Brownrigg, "I'd like to thank the Organizing Committee members and their families for their endless dedication, personal sacrifice and sense of community; Mary Jo Arpin, Cynthia Cole, Kim Taylor, Karen Waters,  Sherrie Larson,  Margaret Rivett and Marlie Spearman - each of whom has been an integral part of the success realized by the Cameron Smith Friendship Tournament since it was first founded". 

Yours in hockey,

Garry Brownrigg
Chair, Cameron Smith Friendship Tournament