ST. JOHN’S, NL – Last night, the St. John’s Board of Trade hosted its 2022 Business Resilience Awards and the Newfoundland Growlers are proud to be the recipients of the Community Champion Award in the category of businesses with less than 20 employees.
This award celebrates businesses that went above and beyond to support their community and commemorates those exceptional neighbours who contributed to the economic, social and cultural well-being of their community, especially during exceptionally challenging times.
While the Growlers have always been proud of the team’s on-ice accomplishments and entertainment value, it pales in comparison to the pride in the club’s community involvement and off-ice contributions in the club’s home city of St. John’s and across the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.
The last two seasons have been challenging for all of us in Newfoundland and Labrador. This past year, the Growlers and provincial sporting community suffered a devastating loss as beloved teammate, Chris Abbott, passed away.
Inspired by Abbo’s lifelong commitment to serving his community, the Growlers doubled down on their community efforts and remained committed to making a difference in the community by any means necessary.
As the only professional hockey club in the province, a main pillar of the Growlers organizational beliefs is being a leader in the community. Over the past season, that mantra has manifested itself in a variety of different forms. From online school visits to library book readings, from visits to the Janeway Children’s Hospital to raising funds for Nevaeh’s Angel Foundation, the Growlers did everything they could, both in-person and using the digital realm, to connect with as many community groups as possible.
The club’s annual Teddy Toss was another resounding success with thousands of bears tossed over the glass by our fans to be donated to children in need. The same can be said for the club’s annual Underwear Toss. It’s already quite a unique sight to see hundreds of pairs of socks and underwear flying through the air and onto the ice at a hockey game, but that spectacle is made even more special when those items are to be donated to the Gathering Place and will go to those in need.
The Growlers continued by selling ‘Abbo 92’ stickers, with proceeds benefiting the Growlers charitable arm, the Growlers Give Foundation.
Last season alone, the Growlers Give Foundation contributed $138,670 in cash and donations to its beneficiaries, which includes but is not limited to the D.A.R.E. Program (Drug Abuse Resistance Education), the Murphy Centre, the Brain Tumour Walk, the Janeway Children’s Hospital and Hockey NL, among others.
The Growlers’ grassroots hockey program, Growlers Academy, took big steps forward in offering affordable, community-oriented programming. Much more than just a hockey school, ‘Growlers Academy’ looks to inspire the next crop of homegrown hockey talent by bringing in Growlers players and staff to provide fun, professional-level instruction to hundreds of local hockey players, all at an affordable price with families in mind.
The Growlers organization would like to take the opportunity to thank the St. John’s Board of Trade for this award and would like to congratulate all award nominees and winners for their exceptional work throughout this past year.