The Oakland Jr. Grizzlies and Troy Youth Hockey Association Run Up the Score for The Salvation Army
Farbman Group Sponsors First Annual Red Wings Alumni Game
SOUTHFIELD, Mich. – The Detroit Red Wings Alumni Association will face-off against coaches from the Oakland Jr. Grizzlies and Troy Youth Hockey Association for the first annual event to benefit The Salvation Army’s Bed & Bread Program on Feb. 5-6 at the Troy Sports Center.
Proceeds from the two-day fundraiser, which includes a Friday night skate-a-thon and a Saturday hockey game between the Detroit Red Wings Alumni Association and Oakland Jr. Grizzlies and the Troy Youth Hockey Association, will benefit the 23rd Annual Dick Purtan Radiothon. The community hopes to raise more than $25,000 to be donated to The Salvation Army’s Bed & Bread Program. The Farbman Group of Southfield is generously underwriting the event.
The Feb. 5 skate-a-thon from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. is open to any community member who has collected a minimum of $15 in pledges for The Bed & Bread Club. Skaters will receive a hot dog and pop combo as part of their pledge package. The Salvation Army and Troy Sports Center expect more than 200 skaters to participate in a great night out for the entire family.
Beginning at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 6, coaches from the Oakland Jr. Grizzlies and the Troy Youth Hockey Association and Detroit Red Wings Alumni Association will go head-to-head for the first annual alumni game. WOMC 104.3’s Dick Purtan will emcee the event and The Salvation Army’s Pep Band is scheduled to perform. Tickets are $12 and are available on a first come, first serve basis.
Hall of famer and former Red Wings great Ted Lindsay will coach the alumni team while the Red Wings currently committed to play include George Bowman, Shawn Burr, Jimmy Carson, Bill Evo, Brent Fedyk, Jon Finstrom, Dennis Hextall, Joey Kocur, Mike Krushelnyski, Paul MacKinnon, Eddie Mio, Dan Newman, John Ogrodnick, Rob Palmer, Pat Peake, Mickey Redmond and Phil Russell.
The 23rd Annual Dick Purtan Radiothon to raise funds for The Salvation Army’s Bed & Bread Program will be held from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. at Oakland Mall in Troy on Friday, Feb. 26. The yearly 16-hour Radiothon has raised nearly $22 million in the last 22 years, and organizers hope to top last year’s total of $2,262,931.
The Bed & Bread program brings food, shelter and services to destitute people within our community, providing them with their basic needs and assisting them to get back on their feet. Through The Salvation Army facilities and off the Bed & Bread trucks, almost 5,000 meals are served each day to children, adults and seniors. Three hundred and sixty-five days a year Bed & Bread trucks make stops in metro Detroit’s most depressed areas. In addition, the Bed & Bread program, on average, shelters 570 men, women and children each night.
Tickets for the Alumni Game are available for $12 per person. To purchase tickets contact Sarah Yerke at (248) 767-6151, or email sarah_yerke@usc.salvationarmy.org. Tickets are limited, so make sure to get yours early while supplies last. The Troy Sports Center is located at 1819 E. Big Beaver Rd. in Troy, Mich.
Founded by William Booth in London, England in 1865, The Salvation Army is a faith-based, non-profit organization dedicated to serving people in need without discrimination. In 2008, The Salvation Army of Metro Detroit was involved in providing more than 3 million meals and 776,973 nights of shelter for the homeless. The Salvation Army uses $.83 of every dollar raised to provide direct services to people in need each and every day of the year. For more information about The Salvation Army, please call 877-SAL-MICH, or visit us at www.salmich.org.