Vancouver Whitecaps Volunteer Party 2012

The Vancouver Whitecaps Volunteer Party always marks the end of the season for the volunteers.  This was the second year its been held at the River Rock Casino in Richmond.  Great venue and awesome food. I have to tell you that I've worked a lot of events in the city and there is no other organization that I've volunteered for that has treated their volunteers like this.  They did an outstanding job.

I met up with a couple other team leads tonight.  We were scrambling to get our stuff organized so we could present it to our Volunteer Coordinator, Lindsay Olimer.  As we hid behind the Christmas tree where there was a table a few chairs for us to sit and talk, we finalized what it was we wanted to say to our fearless leader.  Once that was done, we headed up the escalator to the Whistler Ballroom. 

These are the people I worked with all year long and now have some wonderful relationships with them.  We worked well together as team leaders and we all hoping to be back for next season.

Tables and chairs, photo collage of our season as volunteers rotated on the projection screen and many of the Whitecaps Managers and a couple players joined us for our party.

Lindsay and Bob Lenarduzzi started off thanking all the volunteers and introduced the two players who came out to enjoy the evening with us.  It was none other than Russell Tiebert and Matt Watson.  Every year we get players to come out to our party and it just makes it that much more special.  Last year we had Atiba Harris and Jay Nolly.  It was no different tonight.  It was great to see all our volunteers at the dinner.  For most of us, it felt like it had been too long.  For nine months we saw each other every other week and once the playoff run was over, it all came to a close.  Its going to be hard not to see these people again for another three months before our season opens again in March.

We had a few interactive games for the vollies and the players to take part in with us.  I managed to wrangle Alana to come over to the photo booth with me where Matt Watson was standing.  We took some pics with him wearing reindeer antlers and for some reason, I had on a red hat a gun pointed at him the whole time! Haha!  We had four shots done and the last one he wanted us to make an angry face.  So here is the result from that photoshoot.

 Russell Tiebert was busy with the foosball and Soccer Pool games with the other volunteers.  We ate, drank and visited with our friends.  Apparently this Soccer Pool game was harder than it looks. lol.

This was taken by a volunteer. Andrew. :)

One of my volunteers, Nick, with Matt Watson and Rusell Tiebert

Matt Watson with another volunteer, Steve.

At the end of the night, we did some door prizes where the volunteers won signed items by the players.  The team leads and I also presented Lindsay with a spa certificate, words of thanks from the volunteers and a bouquet of flowers.  I think we surprised her really good.  She never knew it was coming. All in all, it was a great night.  We'll do it all again in March 2013!  :)