Mount Pearl vs. St. John's: Reason for the Rink continues for charities
Todd Churchill's rink in Portugal Cove-St. Philip's has raised over $193K in total
A popular hand-made ice rink in Portugal Cove-St. Philip's hosted the annual Twin Cities Winter Classic over the weekend, pitting rivals St. John's and Mount Pearl together — in the name of four charities.
Todd Churchill has been operating and maintaining his backyard rink for four years now.
Reason for the Rink has raised over $193,000 over the last several years, well surpassing Churchill's original goal of $7,000.
Churchill said 100 per cent of the profit has gone to Easter Seals, Rainbow Riders, the Shriners and the Cerebral Palsy Association of Newfoundland and Labrador.
"[The charities] helped children like my son who has special needs so I started up this fundraiser four years ago to help those charities," Churchill told CBC News outside his rink.
Churchill's young son, Carter, is deaf and has cerebral palsy.
The game between employees with the City of St. John's and the City of Mount Pearl has been happening annually since 2014.
Churchill, who also acted as referee for the lighthearted game, said maintaining the rink requires lots of time and effort.
"I've had more than a few late nights this week," Churchill said, adding he's fuelled by supporters and their words of encouragement.
"It just powers me."
In the end, the glory and the cup went to Mount Pearl for the third year in a row.
