Trevor Linden to speak at Kootenay Conference

Trevor Linden to be the keynote speaker at the upcoming 2013 Recreation Facilities Association of BC (RFABC) Conference.

The City of Trail Parks and Recreation, Castlegar & District Recreation Centre and the Nelson & District Community Complex, with the major sponsorship of Teck, are pleased to announce Trevor Linden as the keynote speaker at the upcoming 2013 Recreation Facilities Association of BC (RFABC) Conference. The event takes place May 14 to 16, 2013 at the Castlegar Recreation Centre and will host approximately 100 attendees. The conference will be focusing on various seminars such as heat recovery, green technology, energy efficiency and Human Resources for managers and operators in the parks and recreation industry. Trevor Linden’s keynote address, which will take place in the evening at 7:30 pm on May 16th, will focus on the leadership skills required to drive environmental responsibility.

In order to engage the community with Trevor Linden’s ongoing dedication to community endevours and charitable causes, the RFABC conference committee has decided to open up the keynote address to the public. Fifty tickets will be available for $75 per person. The ticket cost also includes a banquet dinner at 6:30 pm.

“Having this exceptional athlete speak at our conference is certainly a highlight for the whole conference,” said Todd Wallace, chair of the RFABC conference committee. “With the addition of the community outreach, this becomes a regional event we can all celebrate and be proud of. We couldn’t have done this without the major sponsorship from Teck. The RFABC conference committee is very thankful for their outstanding support.”

In addition to opening the keynote address out to the public, the RFABC conference committee wanted to ensure kids in the Kootenays were given an opportunity to meet Trevor Linden.

“We didn’t want to forget the kids,” said Robert Baker, Trail Parks & Recreation deputy director and RFABC committee member. “Because hockey is such an important part of life to so many kids in this area, we wanted to give them a chance to meet Trevor too. Teck is sponsoring a poster contest to choose 48 kids to play floor hockey at the Castlegar Rec Centre with Trevor. We can’t wait to see the expressions on their faces when he shows up with his hockey stick.”

The poster contest will ask kids to draw and write out their best ideas to help keep the Kootenays green. Sixteen kids from three age categories (7-9, 10-12 and 13-15 years) will be chosen and invited to come out to the Castlegar Complex from 4:00 - 4:45 pm on May 16th to play in the game. The poster contest details will be also communicated via all schools in School Districts 8, 20 and St. Michael's Catholic Elementary School. Posters will not be distributed at schools, but can be picked up at the Castlegar, Trail and Nelson Rec Centres starting April 16th. All posters must be returned to the Rec Centres by May 2nd. Winners will be notified on May 3rd.

Tickets for the banquet and keynote address can be purchased by calling Robert Baker at 250.364.0808. For additional information on the kids’ poster contest, please contact Heather Anderson at 250.365.3386.