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Basketball team rebounds with SkyHawks name Brier Dodge brier.dodge@metroland.com
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The new team name for the Ottawa basketball team – now known as the SkyHawks – was announced on April 5 with a splashy presentation at Algonquin College. After the announcement, Chief Kirby Whiteduck said he supported the new moniker, but wasn’t opposed to the original
TomaHawks name. The SkyHawks brand still has to go through the trademarking process, which can
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CELEBRATING VOLUNTEERS Volunteers are an integral part of the Children’s Aid Society of Ottawa’s (CASO) work, generously donating approximately 30,000 hours of their time each year. Volunteer tasks are varied and exible, matching interests and skills with volunteer positions and working with people’s busy schedules. While some of CASO’s volunteer opportunities require a moderate time commitment, Special Assignments allow for more exibility. Special Assignment include: organizing, knitting and crafts, providing entertainment, or acting as photographers at events. Volunteer Drivers support the children and youth in care by providing a safe nonjudgmental space where they can comfortably sit in silence or speak with an attentive listener. Child Access Volunteers similarly help to provide a safe space by supervising visits between parents and children. Pre-School Volunteers and Tutor/Mentors provide more formalized guidance. PreSchool Volunteers assist professional staff, guiding children from three months to ďŹ ve years through a variety of weekly programs. Tutors/Mentors, under the supervision of the case worker, help school-aged children with subjects like Math, English and Science, encouraging students to develop their interests and build educational goals. Volunteering with CASO is a learning opportunity for the volunteers themselves as they undergo training, work collaboratively with fellow volunteer and staff and develop relationships with foster parents and the families we serve. The scope of our volunteers’ work is extensive. And their commitment and generosity to the community is humbling. Here at CASO, we recognize the importance of our volunteers every day. They are the building blocks upon which our foundation, and in fact, our community, rests. April 21 to 27, 2013 is National Volunteer Week, an opportunity for us to take stock of the time that volunteers across the country donate daily. We would like to take this opportunity to formally thank our volunteers for their tireless work. We want to celebrate their generosity and commitment. Their contribution to supporting children and youth in care, and the Ottawa community more broadly, makes a difference every day and every hour. Children’s Aid Society of Ottawa 613-747-7800 x 2805 www.casott.on.ca E-mail: yourcasquestion@casott.on.ca Twitter.com/OttawaCas Facebook.com/children’s aid society of ottawa
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EMC news – Ottawa’s professional basketball team has a new name. After receiving complaints the original choice, the TomaHawks, was culturally insensitive, the club retracted the name and went back to the drawing board. Team staff announced last week the new franchise will be named the Ottawa SkyHawks, and will keep the hawks logo used in the original branding. “We wanted to instill a very important value, respect,â€? said Bytown Sports and Entertainment president Gus Takkale, who is from OrlĂŠans. “It’s with that value that we want to move forward.â€? On hand for the announcement two Aboriginal chiefs, Chief Kirby Whiteduck of the Algonquins of Pikwakanagan and Chief Gilbert Whiteduck of the Kitigan Zibi. “We believe they really heard the message of the people,â€? said Chief Gilbert Whiteduck.
take six to eight months. Takkale said the name change is good because it has a similar look and feel, and the team can still use the hawk element. The organization reached out to fans on social media to see what they supported before announcing the new team name. Now that the team has a name, they can move forward to hire a head coach by the start of the summer, and then move into recruiting players. Takkale said that the team will look to local talent first, and try and attract other National Capital players in the United States to play. “We want to see how we can get these players to come back home,� he said. The final roster will be announced in October, with the National Basketball League games starting on November 2013. There are three other Ontario teams in the NBL, the Oshawa Power, Windsor Express and London Lightning.
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Ottawa South News EMC - Thursday, April 11, 2013
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