2008 Puck Putt Challenge

I am writing today in order to offer a brief reflection of the Puck Putt Event which took place a few weeks ago. This event was the first inspire4life event that I have experienced and it felt great to be a small part of such a successful and "feel good" event!

For those who were not able to attend, the basic premise of the event was to combine hockey with mini golf and have mentors and their “mentees” play together in teams. (Think mini golf but with hockey sticks and larger balls) The event also featured some Bruins hockey players who were on hand for hours to talk with the kids, sign autographs, and pose for pictures.

While I enjoyed watching the youngsters get so excited to meet Bruins players and while the actual "Puck-Putting" seemed to be a different and fun event - I think that the part of the event which I enjoyed most was watching the kids record video messages. Throughout the event kids could stop by and basically be interviewed in front of a video camera - the kids talked about who their Mentor was and how much this person has meant to them. Looking on from a few feet away, I found myself smiling and almost feeling a little teary-eyed as I heard, through the children's own words, what a difference mentoring has made in their lives.

Overall, the "Puck Putt Challenge" was a really nice way to spend the afternoon. Seeing business people, United Way workers, Bruins players, Mentors, and kids all come together not to fundraise, or protest, or rally but simply just to do something fun together was a powerful and really nice experience!