After what they said was another successful event, organizers of the Gary J. Surette Memorial Tournament donated the proceeds of the third annual hockey tournament to the Gilles Boudreau & Friends Cancer Help Fund.
“The Gilles Boudreau & Friends Cancer Help Fund does great work supporting cancer patients in the Yarmouth area,” said Kevin Surette, president of the Gary J. Surette Memorial Association, the Yarmouth-based group that organized the tournament. “They were very helpful to Gary in his time of need, so we were pleased to be able to donate $2,500 to help others in the same situation.”
The tournament, held April 13-14, saw 57 players, divided into four teams, take part in round-robin play, with Team Bay Ferries defeating Team Surette 4-1 in the title game. The Hector Babin Sportsmanship Award was presented to Keyleigh Colp and the tournament MVP was Tim Atkinson.
“We’re happy to receive this donation,” said Melina Boudreau, president of the Gilles Boudreau & Friends Cancer Help Fund. “Through generous donations such as this, we’re able to help 80-90 individuals annually who have received a cancer diagnosis.”
The fund has been assisting Yarmouth town and county residents with travel expenses for cancer care since 2009. Residents who need to travel outside the Yarmouth area for appointments, after having received a cancer diagnosis, can access the fund by contacting the Yarmouth Hospital Cancer Patient Navigator. The fund distributes $35,000 to $40,000 annually.
The Gary J. Surette Memorial Association is a non-profit organization, formed in memory of Gary J. Surette, that seeks to raise funds to help ease the burden felt by local cancer patients and their families.