Eagles Aim to Make Christmas Brighter in Our Community

Article by N. Schoonderbeek/Media by C. Archer & N. Schoonderbeek

It’s the time of year for giving, and the Clarington Eagles family is contributing to a variety of events to benefit our community.

First up, the players will be participating in two local Clarington parades. On Saturday, November 19, the boys will be in the Bowmanville parade. This parade begins at 10:30 am and processes through the charming Bowmanville downtown area along King Street (see the full route and details for the Bowmanville parade).

And the next day, on Sunday, November 20, they will be in the Newcastle parade. Starting at 5:30 pm, the parade route will proceed through historic downtown Newcastle along King Avenue West and King Avenue East (see the full route and details for the Newcastle parade).

As has been an Eagles tradition for many years now, the Eagles will be volunteering with the Rotary Christmas tree sale at Watson Farm Market in Bowmanville on Saturday, November 26, Sunday, November 27, and Sunday, December 4. Our strapping lads will help you select a tree, trim it, and then help you load it into your vehicle.

According to Gail and Dennis of the Rotary Club Rotary Club of Bowmanville, the organization has sold Christmas trees for more than 20 years. All proceeds go back to helping our local Durham Region community, such as respite care for families, Charles H. Best Diabetes Centre, Feed the Need Durham, and special families with unique needs. The trees are from local tree farms and have sold out quickly in previous years, so it is suggested to get your tree early.

The Eagles also made a contribution towards the toy drive organized by Adam Foreman of the U15 Newcastle Stars. Adam is a cancer survivor who wanted to give back to young people who are undergoing cancer treatment. The young players were excited when several Clarington Eagles showed up in their dressing room to deliver the donation in person.

That’s not all the Eagles plan to do this holiday season. The Eagles Mama Birds are making plans to help women in need and the team also makes a donation to families in need as well.

And looking back to last month, we also want to thank the Eagles community, and the visiting Little Britain team, for such a strong response to our food drive on October 6. The team collected 322 pounds of food for the Clarington East Food Bank. A special thank you to our social media extraordinaire, Chris Archer, for coordinating the food drive.