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Mann-Northway Northern Bears

Bears home opener to honour former manager Bruce Vance

Sep 15, 2023 | 8:33 AM

The Mann-Northway Northern Bears will open their 17th season in the Saskatchewan Female U18AAA Hockey League when they host the Weyburn Richardson Gold Wings at the Art Hauser Centre on Saturday, Sept. 30th at 7 P.M. That night the team will be wearing special edition jerseys in honour of former team manager Bruce Vance, who along with his wife Liane, managed the Bears from 2011-2015.

Vance was originally diagnosed with colon cancer in November 2013. The 2013-14 Bears team came up with the original “Team Bruce” campaign during that season. After treatments, Vance was declared NED (no evidence of disease) in July 2014. However, the cancer came back in 2020 and progressed to Stage 4 and a terminal diagnosis.

The special edition jerseys, which are sponsored by SGEU, are orange with a blue band, the colour representing colon cancer, with the bear holding a blue ribbon. They say “Team Bruce” on the front and back. The jerseys will be auctioned online with proceeds to the Victoria Hospital Foundation and Cancer Foundation of Saskatchewan. The Broda Group and Signature Developments will match all funds raised up to $10,000.

“Bruce Vance has been a cornerstone of community support for years,” said Cody Barnett, CEO of the Victoria Hospital Foundation. “It’s truly fitting that even as we gather to honor Bruce, he continues to push for meaningful change through these fundraising efforts. His character is precisely why this acknowledgment is so well-deserved, and the impact of the funds raised through these efforts will ensure that we can all get the care we need, close to home.”

“I am totally honoured and humbled by this recognition,” said Vance. “The Bears have always been a very special organization in our family and to get this support is incredible. I selected the Victoria Hospital Foundation and Cancer Foundation of Saskatchewan (CFS) as beneficiaries as they support the clinics I had my 53 chemotherapy and 20 radiation treatments. The Victoria Hospital will have a new cancer clinic as part of its renovation and expansion. The CFS supports the Saskatoon and Regina Cancer Centres with equipment, chairs, etc. It is important for me to see some tangible support for the facilities that supported me along the way.”

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“We are so grateful to be included as a recipient of the Bears’ fundraising efforts in support of Bruce,” said Nora Yeates, CEO of the Cancer Foundation of Saskatchewan. “Every dollar donated to our foundation benefits cancer patients in Saskatchewan. It is heart-warming to see the outpouring of generosity from people in our communities, stepping up to show their support for family, friends, and neighbours. Cancer is a difficult journey, and no one travels it alone.”

Mark Ripley, Dealer Principal for Mann-Northway GM hopes to see the community come together for this event. “We are so honoured and excited to be a part of such an amazing gesture. Bruce Vance is an example of true GRIT and INTEGRITY. Thank you Bruce, for being such an amazing human.”

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