JIM YAWORSKI:
Helping to Reach Across a Sectarian Divide Through Charity
By CATHOLINE BUTLER
"Jim Yaworski is the Calgary-based owner of the Belfast Giants hockey team. He has dedicated countless volunteer hours helping disadvantaged youth in Belfast through his work with Co-operation Ireland.
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JIM YAWORSKI, owner of the Belfast Giants hockey team, is presented with an award commemorating his outstanding work with Co-operation Ireland.
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On my recent visit to Calgary, I took the opportunity to present Jim with a well-deserved commemorative plaque from The Celtic Connection in recognition of his outstanding work.
Co-operation Ireland is very involved in helping underprivileged children in Belfast. The program offers tickets to attend Belfast Giants hockey games through sponsorship donations.
Jim told me about the program saying, "our program with Co-operation Ireland is going pretty well this year. We have received about 100 season ticket donations to date. How it works is if someone wants to support the program, they can either contact Co-operation Ireland or the Belfast Giants, buy a season ticket and then donate it to Co-Operation Ireland. That ticket will go to some youngster who couldn't afford a ticket.
"We reach across the political boundaries to the poorest areas in Belfast, to both the Catholic and Protestant communities. We make sure that the kids get these tickets and we know that these types of programs work in helping to break down those old barriers that are still inherent in today's society."
Speaking about this year's hockey season with the Belfast Giants, Jim said, "from a hockey perspective the Giants struggled at the start of this year.
"We won our first game and then had a bad stumble and lost four out of five. But we've started to pick it up now by winning our last two out of three games. So, I think the guys are back on track.
"We thought we had the right combination of players at the start of the year, but unfortunately we had to make some changes. I believe that we have the right mix to gel now.
"From a business perspective, we have done very well with our new general manager, Calgary-born, Todd Kelman. He's brought some new sponsors on board and he's really just got the folks in Belfast more enthusiastic about the game of hockey once again.
"He's done a wonderful job and we look forward to a long future with Todd at the helm of the Giants."
The Belfast Giants hockey team is made-up of mostly Canadian players, with the exception this year of one player from Czeckslovakia and one from the United States.
Speaking about the level of interest in ice hockey by the kids in Belfast, Jim said, "On a recent trip, I had a chance to get out to see some of the younger kids playing hockey and I'm really impressed at the level of talent that is starting to develop.
"The kids in Belfast have also had a huge boost with two homegrown players on the Belfast Giants hockey team. Graeme Walton and Mark Morrison have both been tireless workers in community service visiting schools and sick kids. They've both done a really great job, not only to promote the Giants but also to promote the game of hockey."
For more information about The Belfast Giants, visit: www.belfastgiants.com. For Co-operation Ireland, visit: www.cooperationireland.com.
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