Six minor hockey teams will do battle outside this week at the fifth annual B.C. Childrensa国际传媒檚 Hospital Foundation Winter Classic Charity Jamboree at Apex Mountain Resort.

But there will be much more on the line than the trophy again this year, with all the proceeds of the four-day event going to the foundation.

sa国际传媒淓veryone has someone that they know, whether itsa国际传媒檚 family, neighbours or just someone in the community, that has sick kids,sa国际传媒� said tourney organizer and founder, Yannick Lescarbeau, who has contributed over $77,000 to the foundation in the last four years. sa国际传媒淚 know someone personally that went through it and needed the cure.

sa国际传媒淚n essence we are lucky to have healthy kids who are able to play hockey, so itsa国际传媒檚 just a way of teaching the healthy kids that you have to give back and you also have to think of the kids who cansa国际传媒檛 play.sa国际传媒�

Every year since the event started has been better than the last in terms of money raised, last Januarysa国际传媒檚 event brought in over $26,000 and Lescarbeau is expecting the same thing to happen again this time around.

sa国际传媒淚t becomes almost a challenge for the kids to raise more and more and what Isa国际传媒檝e found over the years is once teams are registered in our tournament, they ask how much was raised last year,sa国际传媒� he said. sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 a multi-level kind of exercise, we teach kids to be good citizens and make them work and empower them to go out and raise money and then we donate the money to people who need it.sa国际传媒�

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Once again, there are six teams (players aged nine and 10) including two from Penticton and one from Kelowna, competing in the games which got underway Thursday.

Fittingly, like the description of many of the kids they are playing to help, the two divisions, comprised of about 120 players, are named Courage and Bravery.

The other three teams are from Victoria, the North Shore Winter Club and Vancouver.

Growing up in Quebec City, Lescarbeau played most of his hockey on outdoor ice surfaces and when he first organized the event, thought it would be fun for many of the players who might not otherwise have the opportunity to experience the same thing.

sa国际传媒淭here were rinks everywhere, yousa国际传媒檇 meet there and you didnsa国际传媒檛 know who was going to be there. Sometimes there were kids your age, older kids, younger kids and everyone played together, same game, same goal, same feeling. It was awesome,sa国际传媒� he recalled. sa国际传媒淧laying outdoors at Apex with frozen toes and snow on your face doesnsa国际传媒檛 get better than that. And to do it for children in needs makes it that much better.sa国际传媒�

At last yearsa国际传媒檚 tournament, the weather ranged from freezing rain, lots of snow and darkness, all of which made the experience sa国际传媒渁wesomesa国际传媒� according to Lescarbeau.

Round robin play goes Thursday evening to Saturday morning with playoffs starting after that and wrapping up Sunday.

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