The Grand Forks Border Bruins are looking for billet homes for the 2015/2016 season.
Billeting of out-of-town players will begin Sept. 1 after selection camp (Aug. 28 – 30). The club is looking for families who are willing to welcome a 16- to 20-year-old hockey player into their home and have this player join your family for the duration of their stay in Grand Forks.
Billet families are given $500 a month and a billet season pass for each household family member. Billeting is a fun and exciting opportunity and helps our community to continue to operate a Junior B hockey team here. The club has a billet handbook available that will provide you with more details about this experience.
Requirements for billet families are providing a safe, clean environment and bedroom for the hockey player(s) to live during the season and providing the player(s) with nutritious meals and snacks. Typically breakfast, lunch and snack food should be in the house but it is not a requirement to prepare these meals but dinner is prepared daily.
On home game days most players follow a routine where they may need to eat three – five hours before the game but with open communication these arrangements can easily be figured out to work for both the player and your family.
Players are expected to respect the rules of your home and help out around the house with reasonable requests such as meal preparation and clean up.
Importantly the Bruins are looking for families that will be a mentor, counsellor and good role model to its players.
It is essential to be there as a support system for your hockey player and listen and give encouragement to them when needed; treating them as “one of the family” is the easiest way to look at this experience. Each billet home will have a player join your family for six months of the year but form friendships and bonds that will last beyond the hockey season.
If you are interested or have questions about becoming a billet family, please contact our billet coordinator Amanda Vanlerberg at 250-443-9353 or secretary@borderbruins.ca.
