Merry Birthday – ‘Tis the Season of Giving

I was born on Boxing Day. Yes, the day after Christmas. And yes, my name is Chris, there is a connection there. Years and years of people saying to me “oh, you were born the day after Christmas, that must be hard. You must get forgotten.” Then, of course, the real resentment of a December birthday arose in my late teens to early twenties, when a number of my friends would reach important milestone birthdays long before I would. I have vivid memories of friends getting their driver’s licences, or being able to go to a pub, much earlier than I, while there was nothing I could do but sit back and patiently wait the year out. But now, I truly love my birthday. Why the change? A few reasons.

For one, there’s a bit of the tables being turned, as now I can tease many of my friends who I begrudgingly endured their ‘early in the year birthdays’ when we were growing up, now to only laugh when their age goes up a notch and mine stays the same. However, the true reason is that I get to spend my birthday doing two things I’m very passionate about: Helping local children and playing hockey!

For the last three years, I have organized a Boxing Day charity hockey game with a goal of raising funds for local children’s charitable causes. Those who know me know that children hold a special place in my heart, so fundraising for children was an obvious choice. The annual event centres around the hockey game itself, with the players passionately doing the fundraising. The players truly are a great group of people who come from all different walks of life but come together with a common goal of raising funds, so we can make an impact on the lives of local children.

This year, we were fortunate enough to play at Budweiser Gardens in London, Ontario. It was the first time I held the event in London (the last two years were in Windsor). This year’s charitable cause was Kids’ Country Club, which provides local respite care for children with disabilities or children who are technologically dependent. The event was extremely well-received; in fact, we sold out, having two completely full benches, many generous donors, and even fans watching from the stands of BWGs! But best of all, I am pleased to advise that in one single night we were able to raise over $2000 for Kids’ Country Club!

For me, every year, as I celebrate two significant yearly events with my family and friends, I am reminded that it’s so important to help those in need. There are so many valid causes out there, but my passion has always been about helping children. As a personal injury lawyer, I too often see families who endure tragedy. It is truly an honour to fight for these families when I go to work every day, and I am thrilled when I can do something further that I know will improve the lives of many local families.

I am excited by the recent success of my event and, while I don’t want to get to December 2017 too quickly, having another full year flash by yet again, I’m very much looking forward to my next December hockey fundraiser!