Steele County Blades And Owatonna Hockey Family Help Stick It To Cancer

A check presentation was recently made to the From the Heart cancer fundraiser from the Stick It To Cancer night at a Steele County Blades Game. More than $3,500 was raised.

The Steele County Blades hosted its first annual Stick It To Cancer event at a home game on Jan. 16. The event was held in honor of Blades board member and long time rink announcer Pete Kalan, who is battling brain cancer. The event was organized by Youth 1st in partnership with the Blades, the Blue Line Club and Owatonna Hockey. Donation buckets were positioned at each entrance with special orange and gray Stick It To Cancer - PK Strong bracelets donated by Corporate Recognition. There were 30 silent auction items plus Stick It To Cancer t-shirts for sale. The Blue Line Club and OHS Boys Hockey team presented a special banner that was signed by many of the more than 1,000 fans attending the game.

Kalan and his family kicked off the night by ceremonially dropping the puck and taking pictures with both the Blades and Rochester Ice Hawks teams. A check, in honor of Pete Kalan, was presented to From The Heart for total donations raised of $3,548. The event was supported by volunteers from the Blue Line Club, OHS Boys Hockey, OHS DECA Students and Youth 1st.

"We want to thank everyone who made the Stick It To Cancer event a success.  The Steele County Blades organization and all of our volunteers did a wonderful job, not only putting on a first-class event, but honoring a first-class person in Pete Kalan.  He has given so much to the Owatonna hockey community, so it was great to see everyone that turned out to support their family.  We appreciate our new partnership with Beth Svenby and From The Heart, they do a fantastic job in supporting local families that have been touched by cancer.  We are looking forward to doing this on an annual basis, it is a great life lesson opportunity for our hockey players at all levels to participate in."

-Youth 1st Director Mark Arjes.

The seventh annual From The Heart Run event is May 2 and will benefit three local families battling cancer: Pete Kalan, Paul Grannes and Tracy Williams. The day will include a half-marathon, half-marathon relay, 5K run/walk and a kids run.