Hitmen’s Every Child Matters game expected to have big impact for Indigenous youth – TheChronicleHerald.ca
Tyler White doesn’t think of it as a game. He sees it as an event.
The CEO of Siksika Health Services was on hand Monday morning at the Scotiabank Saddledome to help announce the details of Saturday’s ‘Every Child Matters’ game between the Calgary Hitmen and Red Deer Rebels.
There’s a whole lot more planned than just an early February WHL game, though.
The afternoon is dedicated to Indigenous youth empowerment through sport and a celebration of Blackfoot culture and is being presented by Siksika Health Services in partnership with Siksika Child & Family Services and First Nations Health Consortium.
There’s going to be a distinct Blackfoot feel to the game, and White believes that’s going to be incredibly impactful.
“It’s difficult to put into words, but it transcends hockey,” White said. “It goes way beyond hockey when you think about the impacts it will have on our children and youth and community. When I think about the sharing of our culture, the powwow dancing, the food. This is something that will have a profound affect on our children and our youth and our community and other communities. This is opening doors, I believe, for First Nations across the country.
