Fraser Caldwell
Ticats.ca
Saturday marked a special occasion for Marwan Hage – even before his team came away with a dominating victory over the Montreal Alouettes.
That’s because, for the third consecutive season, the Alouettes’ visit to Ivor Wynne brought with it an extraordinary influx of young visitors. Hage typically hosts groups of underprivileged youth from the Greater Hamilton Area at Tiger-Cat home games as part of his now-famous Hage’s Heroes initiative.
But the arrival of the Alouettes entails a much bigger operation. Having been raised in Montreal after immigrating to Canada from Lebanon at the age of nine, Hage understandably feels a lingering connection with the Quebecois metropolis.
So when Anthony Calvillo’s crew landed in Hamilton, so did a bunch of kids under the umbrella of Montreal’s Sun Youth Organization. They were joined by a group from Hamilton’s City Kidz organization, forming a crew of 100 to cheer on the Black and Gold.
Hage was involved for much of his adolescence with the group’s activities, including its youth football program. He explains that upon being forbidden from working as a teen, he was driven to invest his time in volunteering, creating an appetite for charitable work that lingers within him to this day.
“I wasn’t allowed to work as a kid, so the only thing I could do was volunteer,” says Hage. “So I spent most of my time at Sun Youth volunteering. In return I played football for free, so I guess that was my pay.
“When you’re a kid and all you do is volunteer, it becomes part of you. It becomes part of the way that you operate.”
When Hage joined the Tiger-Cats in 2004, he brought his custom of outreach work along with him, and established his Hage’s Heroes organization in 2007. The support of corporate partners and the Tiger-Cats organization has allowed the initiative to grow and prosper, reaching ever-greater numbers of kids on a yearly basis.
Saturday’s occasion marked the most ambitious single effort of Hage’s Heroes’ yearly schedule, and required a great deal of logistical aid to successfully transport and house the contingent of children from Montreal.
The generous contributions of corporate partners ensured that the event could be carried out. VIA Rail donated the train tickets needed to transport the group from Montreal to Hamilton, while Hillfield Strathallan College provided buses to facilitate the children’s movement to and from Ivor Wynne Stadium.
Hage expresses his gratitude for the support of both sponsors, arguing that the journey itself was a crucial element of the event for children who had not previously been on such a trip.
“It’s the first time they’ve been on a train, it’s the first time they’ve been on a trip and the first time that they’ve had roommates,” says Hage of the youth. “This is all a positive experience that can trigger dreams and goals for kids.”
While the central event on the kids’ itinerary for the weekend was a football game, Hage emphasizes that his purpose is not simply to inspire future athletes, but to nurture aspirations more generally.
“I always tell the kids that they don’t have to be football players,” says the Tiger-Cat centre. “This program is not about becoming football players. This program is about a positive experience that can trigger a goal. Not everybody in a classroom is going to be an athlete. Maybe you want to become a doctor. We’re just trying to make a positive experience a trigger.
“The football part is the bonus. It’s the entertainment of coming onto the field and seeing the game. They have fun, and we might trigger some football dreams. But that’s not the goal. The game is the movie for them.”
Hage is focused squarely on that goal: fostering dreams and goals in children who struggle to find inspiration in their daily lives. It is why he believes in maintaining a charity without frills or strings attached.
“We never ask for anything from the kids. From the minute that they step into the stadium, all that we do is give to them,” says Hage. “There’s a method to the madness, because I believe that a kid should be a kid. I don’t believe in requiring things of them in return.
“They should come out enjoy being with each other, respect each other, cheer for us and enjoy the experience. One day, do the same for somebody else.”
Hage is happy to report that Saturday’s event was a hit with the children, who watched the action at Ivor Wynne in wide-eyed wonder from a field level tent. He is hopeful that the numbers of those involved can continue to grow in the wake of the successful excursion.
His message is simple, clear and infectious.
“All you need is one moment, one vision, one speech or one event to change your life.”
