March 30, 2011 marked the success of the second annual UDodge tournament.
The dodge ball tournament was created in partnership with the Boys & Girls Club of Edmonton, the Edmonton Police Service and United Way of the Alberta Capital Region. The goal is to bring youth, corporate community members and Edmonton police officers together to have fun while mentoring and learning from one another.
And they did just that. Ten mixed teams of youth and adult players came together to dodge, play, learn, and ultimately take home the title of second annual UDodge champions.
His Worship Mayor Stephen Mandel and Acting Deputy Chief Neil Dubord kicked off the morning with greetings and by throwing the game ball.
“This tournament is an opportunity for youth to learn from each other in a fun and dynamic way,” said Constable Michelle Horchuk of the Edmonton Police Service. “The goal of this tournament is to encourage all members of the community to interact with somebody outside of their peer group. It’s more than youth being mentored by adults and police. It’s an opportunity for adults to learn from youth.”
They came. They played. They dodged. They learned. Together, they raised $1,000 for the Boys & Girls Club of Edmonton – West and provided the opportunity for youth from our community to have a true Alberta adventure – a road trip to the Calgary Zoo, the Royal Tyrell Museum and the Sylvan Lake waterslides.
In the end, Imperial Oil took home the 2011 title, but it was not without a valiant effort from all of the tournament participants. Players brought their “A” game to fulfill the tournament purpose of coming together to learn and be inspired by one another. At the end of the day it was a community tournament that brought all different groups together to work as one team.
Special thanks to the 2011 UDodge sponsors – the City of Edmonton, Health Canada, REACH Edmonton and SOS Children’s Magazine, and Kyle Koch of the Edmonton Eskimo Football Club who delivered an inspirational message of perseverance.
Participating teams for 2011 comprise youth and corporate community members who represent:
- Boys & Girls Clubs of Edmonton
- Crystal Kids
- DaBom Squad
- DaBom Squad Alumni
- The Edmonton Police Service
- Enterprise Rent-A-Car
- The Family Centre
- FIRMA Foreign Exchange
- Grant MacEwan University
- Imperial Oil
- N.E.T. – Neighbourhood Empowerment Team
- REACH Edmonton
- SOS Children’s Magazine
- Stantec
- YESS START Program
- YMCA YTP
A big thank you to all of the UDodge participants for being champions for our community!
Watch a video from the Tournament.
About UDodge
U Dodge is an initiative of three community organizations – Boys & Girls Clubs of Edmonton, the Edmonton Police Service (EPS) and United Way of the Alberta Capital Region.
U Dodge is a community based project designed to connect youth and mentors together to encourage cross peer interaction and community spirit.
For more information visit the United Way website.