Dale Muchowski - Myles Mattila - The Play On!

The Play On! program is about getting people from the community active and involved, it’s about bringing together a large group of people who have a passion for a Canadian pastime that most of us grew up playing. When done right, the buzz and excitement of a Play On! event can introduce thousands of new Canadians to the game of street hockey and rekindle the love of the game for many who haven’t scraped the pavement in years.

 

There are many pieces needed to help a Play On! event run successfully; staff, players, refs, community support, and volunteers are at the top of the list. Every year Play On! runs amazing events across wonderful communities and without the support of dedicated volunteers, the Play On! program wouldn’t be able to offer the street hockey experience that it does. Here in Kelowna, Play On! is always jam packed with amazing volunteers; some stick around the entire weekend, some are only available for a couple hours, but each and every one of them makes a difference and all of their hard work helps the tournament run smoothly.

 

That’s why the Play On! Kelowna team is so excited to announce a volunteer partnership with 16-year old Myles Mattila. Born and raised in British Columbia, Myles has been playing hockey since the age of 3; Myles has played hockey all over British Columbia and relocated to Kelowna last July and currently plays right wing for the BCMML Okanagan Rockets. While he and his Okanagan Rockets teammates are preparing a team for this year’s Play On! Kelowna event, this story isn’t about Myles the hockey player; it’s about Myles the volunteer. Myles reached out to Play On! a couple weeks ago inquiring about setting up a booth during the tournament weekend to help raise awareness for mental health, and after a few phone calls and emails, we finally got to meet.

 

Often times ideas are thrown around and they don’t quite match up or work out, but sometimes you meet with somebody and everything falls into place, I have a feeling that this happens almost every time Myles meets with an organization. Myles has a list of volunteer and community achievements a mile long; his list of achievements since his relocation to Kelowna is spectacular, and due to all of his hard work, Myles has been nominated for Young Male Volunteer of the Year.

 

Myles has worked with organizations such as

CMHA BC - www.cmha.bc.ca

CMHA Kelowna - www.cmhakelowna.com

Mindcheck - www.mindcheck.ca

LIVIN - www.livin.org.au

#breakout_mh @breakout_mh

#getloud - getloudkelowna.com/sign-it/

#talktoday - www.cmha.bc.ca/how-we-can-help/youth/talktoday%20

#sicknotweak - www.sicknotweak.com/

and is always looking for an opportunity to help people start talking about mental health. If you have time on June 18-19, stop by Waterfront park in Downtown Kelowna and catch a game or two, watch Myles and his Rockets teammates take on adversaries from across the province, and take a minute or two to stop by Myles’ booth for chat; regardless of what you decide to talk about, it’s guaranteed to be good conversation.

 

For more information on Myles, check out:

globalnews.ca/news/2040507/junior-hockey-player-from-kelo...

Or follow him on Twitter - @myles_mattila12

 

To join Myles and volunteer at Play On! Kelowna, register here:

www.playon.ca/contact/volunteer/kelowna

 

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to email

Dmuch@playon.ca

Done