HELP FROM FRIENDS:.
Christian and his parents Allan and Jessie Hauck participate in a fundraiser put on by the Bushwackers to help make Christian’s home wheelchair accessible. King Bushwacker, also known as Remo Campitelli (far right) cuts up some pork to feed hungry participants.
Tamara de la Vega
HUNTSVILLE - When asked about the name of the winning teams for the second annual Kids to Camp Huntsville Charity Hockey Tournament, local organizer Remo Campitelli said there weren’t any.
“Just the kids ... they were the winners.”
That was true, as the annual event rewarded some area kids with some gift certificates, spots in an area hockey camp and helped to make the life of one young hockey fan and his family a lot easier.
The Huntsville Bushwackers Hockey Club are using proceeds from its two summer hockey tournaments to fund improvements to the home of six-year-old Christian Hauck, the youngest ‘Bushwacker’ who suffers from Cerebral Palsy and requires wheelchair accessibility.
The club has committed $12,000 to the project, to help the family make the downstairs of their Huntsville home more accessible for their son.
The family has gutted the downstairs of their house, with an accessible bathroom, with hopes of putting a lift in to get to the second floor.
The event also raises money to send five players to Kris King’s Hockey Camp in Gravenhurst, along with handing out 15-$100 gift certificates for Sharpley Source for Sports.
“We managed to select three kids to send to the hockey school and hand out around eight gift certificates, said Campitelli, who also goes by the nickname King Bushwacker. “We were able to make our budget, right on the dot.”
The tournament featured 18 Muskoka teams playing all day at the Don Lough Arena on Saturday. The event was non-competitive, featuring players from ages 20 to 70, playing in a shinny-style format with no penalties and few rules. Two former pro stars, Glen Sharpley and Kris King, also suited up for some of the teams in the event to promote the worthy cause.
Campitelli said that there are still two spots available for the hockey camp and some gift certificates left. Anyone wanting to qualify for the rewards can contact him at 705-571-1935 or by email at king.bushwacker@gmail.com.
He said that the tournament will be back for a third straight year.
“This is going to be a continual thing, forever.”