The Save the Kenai River Brown Bears campaign into it’s final couple of days before an emergency meeting will be held on Monday by the north American Hockey League Board of Governors; the Kenai River Brown Bears declared earlier in February that they would be inactive for the 2017-18 season and were closing their doors on Junior A hockey.
The Save the Brown Bears campaign has picked up the mantle and run with it, this past month trying to raise upwards of $300,000 to present a bid to the North American Hockey League Board of Governors. The Board of Governors will hold their emergency meeting on Monday.
Steve Stuber, heading up the Save the Brown Bears campaign, with an explanation of the Brown Bears standing in-regards-to the North American Hockey League.
Stuber: “The league has protected our rosters, or players until Monday. Friday and Saturday, we have to turn our forms, all of our information into the team. The owners of the team will then sit down and decide-hey, you guys have made it. There’s a board of governors meeting on Monday and they’ll present the plan and say here’s our plan to reactivate the team. If the team is reactivated, we’re up and running. I don’t want people to think that means they’re saved forever. We have to realize that this is something to get us going again. Our community support beyond that is going to be so important.
The Save the Brown Bears group has set a tentative amount of $300,000 by Saturday, April 15th. The Save the Brown Bears committee has set up different ways to donate, make pledges or to go on-line to fund the Brown Bears.
Stuber: “People can go to the Shipping Zone in Kenai. They can fill out a pledge form. You don’t have to give any money now, unless the Bears are saved. You can give $50, $100. Buying season tickets is a great way to show that we care. If you buy a set of season tickets not only does it show that we support the Bears, it shows the community that you care and it shows the businesses that put up the banners and put the in-ice advertising; they know people care so they’ll buy that advertising space to help save the Bears. We have the gofundme site, which is on gofundme-it’s savethekrbb. That’s a donation that’s made-you can do it buy credit card right there on the spot. It has to go to the Kenai Peninsula Youth Foundation, that moneys not going to the old Brown Bears. It will be donated to local charities such as KPHA and the Boys and Girls Club.”
I busy final couple of days for the Save the Brown Bears committee, major decisions to be made by the Kenai River Brown Bears organization, and then the big decision on Monday by the North American Hockey League.
We’ll keep you updated on Peninsula Sports.
