Northern Pharmacy stepped up in a big way by donating $5,000 to the Rankin Rock peewee team in Rankin Inlet on March 7.
The Rankin Rock team will travel to Edmonton to compete in the annual Spring Festival on Ice tournament that takes place from March 25 to 31.
Tim Smith, director of pharmacy operations for North West Company, said he became aware of the peewee team's fundraising efforts through Rachele Verbeek, mother of peewee player Jaidyn Verbeek and a tireless fundraising worker for the team.
He said it was a no-brainer for the pharmacy to get involved and do what it could to help the team travel to Edmonton.
"We take our role as a corporate leader and contributing member of the community very seriously and we are always willing to do what we can to help positive initiatives such as this," said Smith.
"Everyone knows the popularity of the sport of hockey in this community and it's a good feeling to be a part of that and to help these young players take their game to the next level by competing in Edmonton.
"We wish the Rankin Rock good luck at the tournament and I know they'll all have the time of their lives in Edmonton.
"We're both happy and proud that the Northern Pharmacy was able to help these young players reach their goal."
Rankin Rock head coach Dave Wiseman said the Rankin players will be blown away by what they will be participating in during their time in Edmonton, in addition to the actual tournament.
"We just had confirmation on a couple of things that the players are going to love but we want to save them for when we get to Edmonton," said Wiseman.
"We'll take a boatload of photos while we're there and I'm sure we'll have quite the story to tell upon our return to Rankin. The players are going to have a blast and I can't wait to get this show on the road.
"I think I'm just as excited about this trip as the kids; maybe even more so."
Smith said once he decided the Edmonton trip was something Northern Pharmacy should get behind, it was no problem getting approval from corporate headquarters.
He said the timing also fit in nicely with Northern Pharmacy's recent purchase of Sakku Drugs.
"We're still in the process of remodeling the open area at the front of the shop, so we can offer the same selection of over-the-counter items our customers were used to purchasing at Sakku Drugs and we also offer health information on a variety of topics in both Inuktitut and English," said Smith.
"We welcome the staff and clients of the former Sakku Drugs to our pharmacy – we've kept the same great pharmacy team in place to assist our clients with their medications and health-related needs – and we'll continue to work very hard to provide a pharmacy that meets and exceeds the expectations of the community.
"The Northern Pharmacy can be counted on to be involved in the community of Rankin Inlet and to do its share in making a real difference."