Category: Fundraising

7th Annual Celebration of Achievement!

Vauxhall, AB –

It has became a tradition of the Jets to celebrate special achievements throughout the 2017/2018 season.  A great meal with several presentations and awards was highlighted by the Pennies for K’s recap and goal of $100,000 for 100,000 km.  Special thanks to Brian and Susan Van Uden and Yukio and Barbara Kitagawa for providing dinner.  The evening was capped off with a special thanks to Garrick & Bev Blaine for being the Residence Managers, bus driver and voice of the Jets for the last 12 years.  The Blaines have been the residence managers for the last 6 years and we wish them a great retirement.

2018 was a tremendous success both on and off the field.  The Jets finished the spring with a 28-10 record, 3 Tournament Championships (including the PBA Tournament, Haven Agencies Tournament & Missoula Memorial Day Tournament) and a 2nd place finish at the Best of the West.  All 9 graduating seniors are set to move onto college baseball programs (including 3 to NCAA Division 1 programs) and 3 Jets spent time throughout the year with the Canadian Junior National Team (currently all 3 Jets are still with the CJNT).  Please see below all the award winners from last night:

Reno Lizzi Ring Presentation – RHP Garrett Hawkins

Jet of Year presented by Don Groves – OF/INF – Ty Penner $1000 scholarship

Inch by Inch presented by Don McPherson & Yukio & Barbara Kitagawa – $1000 scholarship – RHP Garrett Hawkins

Scott Hornstra Memorial Scholarship – Heart & Hustle – $500 scholarship – C Shayne Campbell

Wanda Stober Memorial Award – Volunteers of the Year $1000 scholarships – INF Kaiden Cardoso

Kalvin Odland Memorial Award – Leadership/Dedication $500 scholarship – INF Damiano Palmegiani

Doug Stevenson Memorial Award – Best Teammate $500 – INF Liam Vulcano

Jan Tolton Memorial Award – Best in the Dorms $500 – RHP Matt Wiggins

McLeod Family Scholarship – Excellence everyday that doesn’t require talent – $1000 scholarship each – OF/RHP Evan O’Toole, OF – Cooper Jones

Schwartz Insurance Assistance Program – $3000 scholarship – LHP Adam Macko (Coach Mac accepting on behalf of Adam)

 

Jets finish off the 12th Annual Haven Tournament with a win!

Vauxhall, AB – 

The Jets got 8 runs in the 1st and cruised to a 15-3 victory over Great Falls.  Shayne Campbell finished things with a grand slam in the bottom of the 5th to seal the victory.  Chase Florendine started going 4 good innings allowing 3 hits, 1 earned run with 1 BB and 6 K’s.  Matt Wiggins finished things off going 1 inning allowing 1 hit.

Offensively, the Jets were Liam Vulcano who was 2 for 3 with 2 doubles and 2 RBI’s.  Owen Harms was 1 for 3.  Ty Penner was 1 for 2 with a 3 run HR.  Shayne Campbell was 1 for 3 with a grand slam.  Kaiden Cardoso was 2 for 3 with an RBI double.  Cooper Jones was 1 for 2 with an RBI and Josh Malainey finished things off going 1 for 2 with an RBI.

Thank you to all the fans, players, coaches and umpires for attending the 12th Annual Haven Agencies Tournament!

Also a special thanks to Peter & Connie Van Uden, Haven Agencies and Intact Insurance for sponsoring the event again this year.

Jets get back on track on Day 3 of the Haven with 2 NO NO’s!

Vauxhall, AB – 

The Jets got back on track with a convincing 11-0 victory over Medicine Hat.  It was another combined no-hitter with Evan O’Toole going 4 innings allowing only 1 BB with 7 K’s.  Jared Arnold finished things off going 1 inning allowing 2 BB’s with 1 K.  Offensively, the Jets were led by Liam Vulcano who was 1 for 1 with an RBI.  Owen Harms was 1 for 3 with a double and 2 RBI’s.  Ty Penner was 1 for 1.  Shayne Campbell was 2 for 3 with a double and an RBI.  Cooper Jones was 1 for 3 with an RBI.  Dayton Peters was 1 for 1 and Levi Abbott was 1 for 2.

Game 2 was against the Great Falls Chargers with another dominate performance on the mound.  Adam Macko started and was dominant going 6 innings allowing 0 hits with 0 BB’s and 11 K’s.  Thomas Little finished things off going 1 inning with 1 K.  Offensively, the Jets were led by Owen Harms who was 1 for 3.  Kaiden Cardoso was 1 for 3.  Shayne Campbell was 3 for 3 with an RBI.  Cooper Jones was 1 for 3 with a 2 run HR.  John Vulcano was 2 for 3 with 2 doubles.  Dayton Peters was 1 for 2 with an RBI and Levi Abbott was 2 for 3 with an RBI.

The Jets will play in the final at 4 pm vs TBD.

Other action:

Lethbridge 10 Medicine Hat 1

VAB 11 Medicine Hat 0

Edmonton 7 Great Falls 6

VAB 7 Great Falls 0

Sunday Games:

10 am Lethbridge vs Edmonton

1 pm Medicine Hat vs Great Falls

4 pm VAB vs TBD

12th Annual Awards/Scholarship Fundraiser a success!!

Vauxhall, AB –

First of all thank you to everyone who braved the weather and poor winter driving conditions to attend our 12th Annual event – presented by the Jets Alumni in honor of Scott Hornstra.  Also a special thank you to all the sponsors and donors for leading the way with first class auction items.  The night opened with Jets Alumni Tyson Ford remembering Scott Hornstra who tragically died in a snowboarding accident late in 2017.  There were tears and laughter remembering a truly remarkable soul with several members of the Hornstra Family in attendance.

Keith Miller led the evening again as our MC.  Former Blue Jay World Series Champ, MLB All-star and current colour anaylist for the Jays, Pat Tabler electrified the crowd with stories of the past and current Blue Jays. His humble and well spoken approach was very easy to follow and inspired young and old in attendance to wake up everyday with enthusiasm. Several Awards and Scholarships were handed out highlighted by the Reno Lizzi Scholarships.  Barbara & Yukio Kitagawa continued to inspire the entire Jets organization with a special tribute for the Pennies for K’s fundraiser.  Yukio’s accomplishments and drive are truly remarkable.

2018 marked the 3rd Annual induction into the “Wall of Excellence.” Brian Bauman former owner of Sports Connection Source for Sports in Medicine Hat was inducted into the Wall of Excellence.  His son Matt accepted the award in an emotional and touching acceptance speech.

The official announcement of the Schwartz Insurance Group Assistance Program.  This program will offer $15,000 annually to current and future Jets athletes.

The Award winners are listed below:

  • Reno Lizzi Scholarship – Garrett Hawkins
  • Reno Lizzi Underclassman – Adam Macko & Chase Florendine
  • Coaches Award (newly named Blaine Burbank Coaches Award) – Jaden Griffen
  • Sports Connection Scholarships – Ty Penner & Owen Harms
  • Schwartz Insurance Group Assistance Program – Dayton Peters

The Jets are also excited about taking our Celebration in Achievement Dinner in June to the next level with several awards and scholarships presented at the event.  Date will be announced soon.

Thank you to everyone who attended, donated and sponsored the Banquet.  All donations go along way in assisting our student-athletes to Live Their Dreams.  Once a Jet….Always a Jet!

12th ANNUAL AWARDS/SCHOLARSHIP BANQUET-UPDATED!

12th Annual Awards/Scholarship Banquet is presented by the VAB Alumni – in honour of a truly great Jet – Scott Hornstra – RIP Horns.  The Hornstra family along with several alumni will enjoy lunch with our featured speaker – Pat Tabler before taking in the evening festivities. 

“Once a Jet…Always a Jet!” 

Vauxhall, AB –

The VAB is excited for the 12th annual Awards/Scholarship Fundraising Banquet March 3rd, 2018 at the Vauxhall Community Hall (5 pm cocktails and 5:45 pm program begins).  Pat Tabler who currently working with the Blue Jays and Sportsnet as a broadcaster.  Tabler played 13 years of the MLB winning a World Series with the Blue Jays and was also an All-star in 1987

The evening will once again be highlighted by the Reno Lizzi Scholarships as well as several other Awards and Scholarship presentations. A silent auction, live auction and raffles will be going on throughout the evening

Some of the highlight auction items will be posted prior to the banquet.

Please contact Lynda Unruh at [email protected] for tickets.  Tickets cost is $60/ticket or $450/table of 8

We look forward to celebrating with the past, current and future Jets!

12th Annual Christmas Celebration!

Calgary, AB –

Calgary Theatre and the 31st running of “The Christmas Carol” live theatre production has become an annual holiday tradition for the Jets. 2017 marks the 12th consecutive year that Yukio and Barbara Kitagawa have treated current Jets as well as many Academy supporters to a great day of holiday celebration and cheer. In total 47 Jets supporters enjoyed the holiday tradition.

On behalf of the entire Jets organization we would like to thank Barbara and Yukio Kitagawa, Carl Ringdahl, Ken and Susan Scott as well as Shirley from Theatre Calgary for the great day.  We would also like to thank Donna Brown from Intact Insurance for the special gift for each of the boys.

6th Annual Celebration of Achievement!

 Vauxhall, AB – 


It has became a tradition of the Jets to celebrate special achievements throughout the 2016/2017 season.  A great meal with several presentations and awards was highlighted by the Pennies for K’s fundraising presentation.  The Kitagawa’s presented a cheque matching donations and topping it up with a golf tournament donation.   Special thanks to Brian and Susan Van Uden and Yukio and Barbara Kitagawa for providing dinner.

 

2017 was a tremendous success both on and off the field.  The Jets finished the spring with a 31-10 record, 3 Tournament Championships (including the 2017 BOW), 2nd place finish and a 3rd place finish.  All 9 graduating seniors are set to move onto college baseball programs (including 4 to NCAA Division 1 programs) and 5 Jets spent time throughout the year with the Canadian Junior National Team (currently 4 Jets are still with the CJNT).  Please see below all the award winners from last night:

Reno Lizzi Ring Presentation – LHP Garrett Nicholson

Jet of Year presented by Don Groves – C – Victor Cerny $1000 scholarship

Inch by Inch presented by Don McPherson & Yukio & Barbara Kitagawa – LHP Wesley Moore $1000 scholarship

Wanda Stober Memorial Award – Volunteers of the Year $500 scholarships – OF Jared Binsfeld & OF Matt Rath

Kalvin Odland Memorial Award – Leadership $500 scholarship – C Brett Mercier

Doug Stevenson Memorial Award – Best Teammate $500 – INF Liam Vulcano

Jan Tolton Memorial Award – Best in the Dorms $500 – LHP Zach Newman

Several other awards were also handed out at the 2017 Banquet.  http://vauxhallbaseball.com/2017/03/11th-annual-awardsscholarship-fundraising-dinner-a-success/ 

Some things are bigger than baseball!

Lethbridge, AB – 

It is the 6th Annual TCMM Memorial Baseball game vs the Lethbridge Bulls for the Jets.  It is time to remember all who’s lives were tragically taken in December of 2011.  The game was scoreless heading into the 3rd inning when the Bulls scored 2 runs leading to a 3-0 final.

Wesley Moore, Zach Newman, Ben Erwin and Jaden Griffen combined to hold the Bulls to hold the Bulls to 5 hits.

Cooper Jones, Jared Binsfeld and Owen Harms combined to provide the Jets with 4 hits.

The loss ends the Jets season and finish with a 31-11 record including 3 Tournament Championships.

TCMM.  Once a Jet…Always a Jet!

11th Annual Awards/Scholarship Fundraising Dinner a success!

The 11th Annual Awards/Scholarship Fundraising Banquet was once again a tremendous success.  Keith Miller led the evening again as our MC.  Former Blue Jay and Yankee as well as MLB HR Champ Jesse Barfield talked to the crowd about his childhood and the daily adventures of being a Major League baseball player.  He spoke to the players and coaches about being a good teammates, hitting philosophies and the game within the game (pitcher vs hitter).   Several Awards and Scholarships were handed out highlighted by the Reno Lizzi Scholarships.  Barbara & Yukio Kitagawa continued to inspire the entire Jets organization as they matched all donations to Pennies for K’s to $20,000.00.

2017 marked the 2nd Annual induction into the “Wall of Excellence.” Peter & Connie Van Uden of Haven Agencies were inducted into the Wall of Excellence.

The Award winners are listed below:

  • Reno Lizzi Scholarship – Garrett Nicholson
  • Reno Lizzi Underclassman – Damiano Palmegiani & Cooper Jones
  • Coaches Award (newly named Blaine Burbank Coaches Award) – Victor Cerny
  • Sports Connection Scholarships – Conner Green & Ben Erwin
  • MacLeod Family Scholarship (trip to Japan) – Liam Vulcano & Dayton Peters

Thank you to everyone who attended, donated and sponsored the Banquet.  All donations go along way in assisting our student-athletes in Live Their Dreams.  Once a Jet….Always a Jet!

The Jets are also excited about taking our Celebration in Achievement Dinner in June to the next level with several awards and scholarships presented at the event.  Date will be announced soon.

Celebration of Achievement a tremendous success!

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Vauxhall, AB – 

The day began with a special “Ride.”  VAB Ambassador Yukio Kitagawa continued his quest to ride 100,000 km in 10 years for “Jets Baseball.”  What made June 9th, 2016 special is Yukio officially road his bike 40,075 km which is the circumference of the earth.  This feat was accomplished in only 634 cycling days and it took 2674 hours to complete the 40,075 km.  To top this off Yukio’s wife Barbara matches all pledges donated to the “Pennies for K’s fundraiser” in support of Jets baseball and after 2 years we have raised over $88,000.00.  WOW what a great way to support Jets Baseball.  Special thank you to everyone who has supported this fundraiser over the last 2 years.  We look forward to another great year in 2017.

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The evening was highlighted by our 5th Annual Celebration of Achievement.  This year marked not only a time to celebrate academic performance, community involvement but also a time to recognize 3 Award winners and the presentation of the Reno Lizzi Ring.

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Jan Tolton Memorial Scholarship – KJ Moreno

Celebration 2016

McLeod Family Scholarships – Ben Erwin & Wesley Moore

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Special thank you to Brian & Susan Van Uden and Yukio & Barbara Kitagawa for your support of the Dinner.

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