Special night at stadium for kids

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 04/07/2015 (3215 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Like a lot of kids, Matthew Coleshill, 7, didn’t do much sleeping at his first sleepover. Instead, Matthew stayed up to watch a movie, play some football and hang out with his friends.

The difference is Matthew spent his Friday night at Investors Group Field, watched his movie on the stadium’s video boards and tossed the football with some Winnipeg Blue Bombers. To top it all off, he got to keep the brand-new bed he slept on.

Matthew was one of 23 kids who got treated to the Dream Big Experience, an event put on jointly by the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Winnipeg, the Blue Bombers and the Dufresne Group.

For the second year running, kids from Big Brothers Big Sisters were brought out to spend the night at the stadium, meet Bomber players and make a few friends. In a surprise announcement Saturday morning, the kids and their families were told the beds each child slept on were theirs for good.

“It’s one thing to donate product and donate money, and we do lots of that. But if we can donate an experience, it’s just memorable,” said Troy Davis, president of Dufresne. “I know this morning, talking to the kids, I’ve heard comments (such as) ‘Hey, those were the best two days I’ve ever had.’ “

On Friday night, children from Big Brother Big Sisters headed down to the stadium to be joined by a handful of Bombers players as well as mascots Buzz and Boomer and the Blue Bomber Cheer Team. In addition to running football drills with the players, the kids were kitted out with personalized Bombers jerseys and gear, plus pyjamas for the sleepover.

After a buffet dinner and a movie on the big screens, the kids settled in to new Dufresne beds, but not before a having a blast first.

Matthew’s sister, Jennifer Sawka, celebrated her 14th birthday that night, partying alongside her younger brother and sister, Meghan, 11. She said the experience was “pretty cool.”

“It felt really good,” Jennifer said. She said she spent most of the night “laughing and giggling,” but her favourite part was playing with the Bombers.

Bombers defensive lineman Bryant Turner said it was a night to remember for the players, too.

“It was amazing, just to see the kids’ faces,” Turner said. “… We get a lot out of it, I feel, just how humbling it is. The reason we play this game is just so we can do things like this. It’s really an eye-opener for us.”

‘A good night’s sleep is a way to wake up and have a good morning and have a good day. It ties into that idea of wanting to have young people thrive, and be healthy and happy’

For Matthew, Meghan and Jennifer’s family, a new bed can make a world of difference, said dad Michael Coleshill. Before Saturday, Coleshill said there weren’t enough beds in the household for the kids to each have their own.

Greg Unger, executive director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Winnipeg, said the event was “really special.”

“… A good night’s sleep is a way to wake up and have a good morning and have a good day,” he said. “It ties into that idea of wanting to have young people thrive, and be healthy and happy.”

aidan.geary@freepress.mb.ca