It was a very special day for the Nuxalk Braves with the arrival of our new Dr. Dish. I truly believe with this machine, we will be able to progress to the next level of excellence. I had a vision for these young men on the heels of our success at this years All Native Basketball Tournament in Prince Rupert. Our fundraising goal was achieved with determination and perseverance. We are now able to be more efficient with shooting drills and conditioning simultaneously.
It was no easy task to fundraise have this machine arrive in Bella Coola. Along the way I sometimes pondered what I had got myself into. The Dr. Dish is a huge investment that universities, colleges, and schools primarily have because they have a healthy sports budget to purchase equipment. I started by writing to at least 20 universities across the states in hopes of buying their used machine so that they may upgrade to a new one. I never heard back from any of them. It didn’t stop there; I started to investigate online sales through Kijji and ebay. As quick as this particular piece of equipment was posted, it was gone. It seemed they were few and far between.
At this point, I knew I had to take a different approach and go new all the way. I decided to turn to my community for assistance but this time I needed the assistance of local businesses. Once again, I began writing letters to various organizations throughout the Bella Coola valley. It seemed like weeks had passed and nothing. I began to feel my vision slipping away and a sinking feeling started to creep in.
Then an email arrived from Bella Coola Heli Sports stating that this was the very thing they would like to support! I was so thankful for their support and their understanding of my vision. Then came a donation from the Nuxalk Nation who time and time again support their youth. Kopas Store stepped up and generously made a contribution to help us along the way. The kindhearted Theresa Brook and N.A.A.L.S saw fit to contribute to our teams’ goal. Got Wood Contracing (Wayne Bittner) with his generosity and caring for the youth contributed without hesitation.
Megan Moody came forward with a wonderful contribution to our team also a thank you to A&A Trading. Lastly, a huge thank you to the Bella Coola Community Forest for their donation of a logging truckload of firewood. Our heartfelt thanks goes out to all who have been there to help us achieve this goal and actualize our vision.
The Nuxalk Braves have made their mark and will continue to excel, representing our community with their best efforts. I feel very proud of my community for answering the call and being there for them. You will not be disappointed. Each and every one of our team members is committed to achieving their personal best. This is what it is all about: personal best and team work.
