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After hundreds of hockey fans filed into Merlis Belsher Place and the puck dropped on Saturday for the Winter Classic Charity Hockey Game, the focus wasn’t on the game, it was on the cause.
The annual event raises money for the Saskatchewan Roughriders Foundation’s Win With Wellness program that promotes mental wellness for young kids in the province.
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Brett Lauther, Saskatchewan Roughrider kicker, spearheaded the initiative three ago and explained his family played a big part in his decision.
“Everyone had to go through Covid, but not everyone had to go through Covid as a kid,” he said. “I got to see first hand some of the stuff my sister dealt with.”
Lauther, along with a number of Riders, visit schools across the province to speak with kids and share tips about mental wellness.
“(We) try to be as relatable as possible to the kids,” said Lauther. “Let them know we’re dealing with everything they deal with, we teach them about box breathing and talking about stress and anxiety.”
Box breathing is when you slowly inhale through your nose, hold your breath, slowly exhale through your mouth and then hold your breath, before repeating the steps.
Former Rider receiver Ajou Ajou was on the bench for Team Lauther, and he wants kids to walk away with at least one message that sits with them.
“I hope that they know whatever you set your mind to do in this world you can do it,” said Ajou. “Just keep working and your dreams will come true.”
Cindy Fuchs, Executive Director of the Saskatchewan Roughriders Foundation, said last year the project reached around 13,000 kids in classrooms.
“They start in about December, so they’ve been going for about two months,” she said. “They’ve been to 51 schools in the province in two months.”
The fundraiser helps keep the program free for teachers.
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