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OHL Kitchener Rangers

Rangers Recognized as the Ontario Hockey League's 2023-24 Community Involvement Award Winners

June 19, 2024 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Kitchener Rangers News Release


Sarnia, Ont. - The Ontario Hockey League (OHL) announced Tuesday, June 18th that the Kitchener Rangers have received the Community Involvement Award for the 2023-24 season. The award was presented to the Rangers at the OHL's annual Summer Business Meetings hosted in Sarnia from June 18-19.

"It is an immense honour for the Kitchener Rangers and Rangers Reach to be recognized as the Ontario Hockey League's Community Involvement Award winners," said Rangers Reach Executive Director Craig Campbell. "At Rangers Reach, our mission from day one has been to give back to and support the community that has supported the Kitchener Rangers since 1963.

Our growing impact in the Waterloo Region would not be possible without our passionate group of volunteers. They are the lifeblood of Rangers Reach, face to face with fans at every Rangers home game to raise funds for our community. Alongside the remarkable support we receive from our presenting sponsor, Arnold Hearing Centres and our partnership with BUMP, we have achieved impressive growth this season, all to benefit our community. By supporting a variety of organizations with key focuses on youth, education, and sport, we are motivated as a pair of organizations to ensure our community thrives both on and off the ice," Campbell added.

Over the year, the Rangers with Rangers Reach have truly embedded themselves into the fabric of the Kitchener-Waterloo community, raising a Rangers single season record of $1.3 million through 50/50 sales, jersey raffles, and generous donations. These funds are being reinvested directly into the community, providing essential grants to a variety of local charities and organizations.

This season saw the Kitchener Rangers and Rangers Reach donate $100,000 to the KidsAbility foundation, a collaborative effort that is funding a new therapy room at KidsAbility's new site in Kitchener. Antonino Pugliese spearheaded the 'PugLife' t-shirt fundraiser that raised over $13,000 for the Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario (POGO). And local students were also awarded over $10,000 in scholarships.

In addition to their financial support, the Rangers' players have been actively involved in the community, attending 21 events throughout the year. These included school visits, where players inspired and mentored young students, and local hockey practices, where they shared their skills and love for the game with aspiring young athletes. They also made hospital visits to lift children's spirits and ran two separate blood drives with the Canadian Blood Services to save lives.

"We are so proud to be recognized by the OHL today for winning the Community Involvement Award," said Kitchener Rangers Chief Operating Officer Joe Birch. "Our fans are our community. For 60-plus years they have continued to support our hockey club and any opportunity we have to support them through a season is so very important to us. We have amazing community partners such as the Sexual Assault Support Center Waterloo Region, Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario and Clarky's Kids, the Food Bank of Waterloo Region and so many more. This award is a celebration of those partnerships in collaboration with Rangers Reach!"

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Get ready, #RTown! The Rangers return to the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium to kick off the 2024-25 season on September 27th against the Erie Otters. Season tickets are on sale now, head over to https://bit.ly/RangersSeasonsTix to secure your seats. Stay tuned for information on single game ticket sales later this summer.

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