The Coaches Site is proud to announce that it will be hosting a charity reception for Hockey Education Reaching Out Society (HEROS) at its inaugural Hockey Coaches Conference on July 29th and 30th at the Delta Hotel and Conference Centre in Burnaby, BC.

The event is sponsored by Sleeman Breweries and will feature an auction and a meet and greet with some of the conference’s keynote speakers such as Don Hay, coach of Canada’s 2012 National Junior Team and the Vancouver Giants. Norm Flynn, Founder and Executive Director of HEROS, will also be on hand to address the audience on his organizations’ goal to empower children through ice hockey.

Flynn launched HEROS in 2000 with a small group of volunteers in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. The program was an immediate success and has expanded to major cities across Canada. HEROS uses hockey to attract youth to a program that also includes support for education, self-esteem building and life skills training. The program focuses on boys and girls from diverse ethnicities and economically challenged neighbourhoods.

“HEROS would like to thank The Coaches Site for including us in this fantastic weekend, and of course, Sleeman Breweries for coming on board as the official sponsor of the HEROS reception,” said HEROS Chairman Terron Falk. “Norm Flynn, the founder and driving force behind HEROS, will be in attendance and is looking forward to the opportunity to tell you more about our organization — how we have grown from a small program helping kids on the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, to an international organization helping hundreds of socially and economically challenged children access the sport of hockey for the very first time. It will be an honour to share our own story at the Hockey Coaches Conference July 29th and 30th.”

Learn more about HEROS by visiting them online at www.heroshockey.com.

HEROS founder Norm Flynn speaks with 2011 Hockey Coaching Conference MC Ryan Pinder about the lightbulb moment that was the catalyst for HEROS and the many ways children can benefit being involved in sport.

*Ryan Pinder will be catching up with all of our keynote speakers leading up to 2011 Hockey Coaches Conference. Stayed tuned for more interviews.