Saskatchewan Roughriders
Ticats.ca
Vanessa Crapsi
It started bright and early on a Wednesday morning.
While most people were still sleepy and awaiting their weekday to begin, your Hamilton Tiger-Cats were up, smiling, and ready to assist in a day every Hamiltonian knows, or at least have heard about.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011 is a special day for Tim Hortons restaurant owners, team members and guests, including the Ticats. Camp Day is the one day a year when Tim Hortons restaurant owners across Canada and the United States donate every penny from coffee sales to the Tim Horton Children’s Foundation. Established in 1974 the Foundation is committed to sending children from economically disadvantaged homes to a fun-filled camp environment. It was an event that the Hamilton Tiger-Cats were proud to be a part of, and hit home for some of them as well.
Eager to gain donations big and small from the visiting customers, Jerome Dennis was an individual who knew exactly why Camp Day was so important to partake in.
“I couldn’t afford to go to camp,” admitted Dennis.
“Growing up I didn’t have the money to go to camp, but I’ve always wanted to.”
Growing up in Palmdale, California, Dennis admits that through his experiences, he’s learned the importance of giving back to the community and the value of providing special experiences for others as well,
“Experiences are what shape a person.”
Coffee pots in hand, sixteen Tiger-Cat players, and many other volunteers from around the city spent their mornings serving customers, making coffee orders, and impacting the community in a small way that they hoped would make a huge difference. While pouring with one hand and stirring with the other, defensive back Jason Shivers made his coffee orders like a veteran barista.
Eager to learn more about the special day, and the lives his coffee pouring skills may be impacting, Shivers later taped his donation card on the wall with the others, admiring it proudly. Looking forward to the possibility of perhaps visiting a camp one day, Shivers was undoubtedly happy to step up and work the line.
The Ticats were spread out through numerous Tim Hortons locations in the area, between 7 am and 9 am, however, not many knew that the very first Tim Hortons restaurant opened on Ottawa street in Hamilton, Ontario back in 1964. Both players as well as customers were surprised to discover that the Tim Hortons chain was originally founded in the very home of the Tiger-Cats, right in their own backyard.
Nevertheless, the ambitious atmosphere was far too familiar for Ticats quarterback, Kevin Glenn. As a partial owner of two Tim Hortons locations –though both in the US–, he truly appreciated the participation of the customers, as well as his fellow teammates. In addition, Glenn has also teamed up with Timmies for the community program, Kevin Glenn’s Touchdown’s for Kids. Local Hamilton Tim Hortons store owners will donate $200 for each touchdown (passing or rushing) that Glenn scores, to the Tim Horton Children’s Foundation. Like Camp Day, this initiative will help send kids to camp.
Whether coming in for their favorite cup of joe, to make a donation, or simply to see what special guest would be behind the counter, the day was undoubtedly a success. Though it’s one day a year, every Tim Hortons coffee purchased on Camp Day will help send more than 14,000 kids – who could otherwise not afford it – on the camping adventure of a lifetime. On June 1st, 2011, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats took part in helping to provide experiences for those children who need it most, and like Tiger-Cat, Jerome Dennis preached,
“Experiences are what shape a person.”
If you would like to participate like the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, and help provide a positive experience for a child in need, text the word CAMP to 45678 to donate $5 to the Tim Horton Children’s Foundation, or visit your local Tim Hortons Restaurant for more details.
