On January 24, I will be hosting the fifth annual Red Stone Lake Pond Hockey invitational, an outdoor hockey tournament on Piccadilly Bay in Haliburton, Ontario. But this classic Canadian weekend of intense on-ice competition is about more than victory. Through Memory Makers for Alzheimer’s, we’ve turned the tournament into a fundraiser in honour of my father, Don de Maio, who passed away from Alzheimer’s disease last year.

Our house on Piccadilly Bay once belonged to my father, who always loved the outdoors and hiking in the area. Battling on ice in the great outdoors, I feel that the tournament is a great way to honour his memory. And it helps raise money to fund critical Alzheimer research and programs and services in our community.

In addition to a registration fee for the tournament, we provide additional means for participants to show their generosity through other activities and tournaments like crokinole, power, fooseball and a 50/50 draw.

Having experienced this journey for myself, I know that families affected by this disease need all of the help they can get. So please help us raise even more money this year.  I want to leave a legacy for my father that he can be proud of.

Peter de Maio

Memory Makers for Alzheimer’s fundraiser