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More than 700 guests honoured for support of Roger's House
The Ottawa Senators held an appreciation night on Thursday, Jan. 12, for nearly 750 people involved in the construction of Roger's House, a pediatric and palliative care facility that is scheduled to open at the end of February or early March.
The construction workers gathered together for a common goal -- to build Roger's House -- and last week were given the chance to meet. The idea of getting everyone together was developed by the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and the Ottawa Senators Foundation as a way to show their appreciation for the tremendous support of the local construction industry.
"You are the ones who built Roger's House," Roy Mlakar, President and CEO of the Ottawa Senators told the crowd during the event at Scotiabank Place.
Roger's House, located on the grounds of the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO), has been built to enhance the comfort and quality of life for children and their families. The concept was met with great enthusiasm from former Senators coach Roger Neilson, who was presented with the idea shortly before he died of cancer in June of 2003.
Kim Lackey, the daughter of the Glen Morley who is the project director of construction, was amazed to see how many people have been involved in the project.
"It's amazing," she said as she looked over the crowd. "I can't believe all the people who have donated their time on this project. We never expected to be getting involved in a job like this, it's different than any job we've ever worked on. There was a wonderful feeling from Day 1. Everyone has been positive and willing to give more than they originally said. To me, it's amazing to see someone say they'll give $30,000 but then they give $200,000. Things like this have happened."
Lee Pharo, the operations manager for Canada Building Materials, said naturally his company wanted to get involved.
"It's a great site and it was a lot of fun. This is for a good cause and it feels great to be able to give back to the community."
A Merlin Doors Systems employee, who wished to remain anonymous, said the Senators played a big part in getting things rolling.
"It's great to have the Sens in this community to steer people on how to accomplish things like this. They're more than just a hockey team. When you get so many people gathered here to work on a common goal, it's amazing. Unfortunately we have a real need for this (Roger's House) in our community."
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