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Ted Nolan coming back to Buffalo

by jmaloni
Mon, Sep 17th 2012 07:00 am

NACS announces upcoming gala and "Bundled Arrows" honorees

Native American Community Services of Erie & Niagara Counties Inc. is excited to celebrate the community it serves through its third annual gala. This year's theme is "Honoring The Past, Celebrating The Present, Enriching The Future." The event is presented by KeyBank on Friday, Sept. 21, at the Adam's Mark Hotel in Buffalo.

While supporters of NACS can gather to celebrate the organization's many accomplishments over their first 37 years, they also recognize there are significant needs and challenges that still must be met.

The gala event will feature former Buffalo Sabres and NHL Coach of the Year Ted Nola, as a special guest master of ceremonies for the evening. The gala highlight will be the presentation of the "Bundled Arrows" Awards to recognize just some of the many individuals and organizations that are working in partnership with NACS to help make the community and future generations stronger.

Tickets are $60 and will include dinner and entertainment. There will also be opportunities to participate in silent auctions and basket raffles of items donated by local business partners and community members. There are still opportunities for individuals and local businesses to not only help support the work of NACS, but also increase exposure of their organization at the same time. Aside from attending, they can become one of the gala's sponsors, purchase an ad in the event program booklet, or donate goods and/or services for the silent auction and/or basket raffle.

2012 "Bundled Arrows" Award Honorees

  • William Fremgen, coordinator of drug abuse services for the Erie County Department of Mental Health;

  • Mary Goodspeed RN, BS, coordinator, HIV clinical education initiative of the Erie County Medical Center

  • Zackery Cruz, community youth - "elder in training"

  • Francis Hill, community leader; retired from the Native American Resource Program of the Buffalo Public Schools

The gala begins at 5:30 p.m. For more information on the event, sponsorship opportunities, or tickets ($60 each), call 716-874-4460 or visit http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/265776.

About Ted Nolan

Ted Nolan was born and raised on the Garden River First Nation Reserve, along with his 11 brothers and sisters, in a house with no electricity and no running water. Despite his humble beginnings, Ted never gave up. His work ethic and determination earned him a spot on the roster of the Soo Greyhounds of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) where he spent two seasons and played alongside Wayne Gretzky.

In 1978, Ted was drafted by the Detroit Red Wings in the fifth round. He played in 79 NHL games with the Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins, but spent most of his playing time in the minors. When a back injury forced his retirement from playing, Ted returned to the Sault to coach the Greyhounds in 1988. He led the Hounds to back to back OHL Championships and three consecutive Memorial Cup appearances. This culminated in 1993 with the Greyhounds winning the Memorial Cup on home ice.

Following his successful coaching debut with the Hounds, Nolan went on to the NHL to coach the Hartford Whalers and Buffalo Sabres, winning NHL coach of the year honours in 1997. He also coached the Moncton Wildcats of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League to a league championship and Memorial Cup finals appearance in 2005-06 and the following season Ted returned to the NHL to coach the New York Islanders.

As coach of the Sabres he took a team with a record of 33-42-7 and 73 points in his first year to one with a record of 40-30-12 and 92 points his second year on the way to winning first place in the Northeast division. That year, his team had earned the label as "the hardest working team in NHL" and Ted was awarded the Jack Adams trophy as NHL Coach of the Year. He is currently the head coach of Latvia men's national ice hockey team.

In 2004, Ted started the Ted Nolan Foundation to honour his late mother, Rose, and established the Rose Nolan Scholarship Fund, which has helps provides bursaries to assist young women in attending college or university. In 2009, the foundation partnered with Tim Horton Children's Foundation and started a leadership camp for first nation youth and today has two camps in Onondaga Farms, Ontario, and Tatamagouche, Nova Scotia.

About the "Bundled Arrows" Award

The award is in recognition of the honorees individual contributions and commitment to the strengthening of the local Native American community. The awards are inspired by the Haudenosaunee Confederacy's Great Law of Peace in which the Peacemaker on his journey to unite the confederacy gave the strongest warrior in the village one arrow and told him to break it and the warrior easily did. He then bundled five arrows together to signify the original five nations to accept the Great Law and asked the same warrior to break it and he couldn't. This simple act showed that we are stronger working together then we are separate. NACS will show their appreciation of the honorees partnership with the organization by presenting them with an arrow representing that they are a part of NACS' bundle which together makes them stronger as they work to meet the needs of the community.

About NACS

Since 1975, Native American Community Services of Erie and Niagara Counties Inc. has focused on serving the needs of the off-reservation Native American population in Erie and Niagara counties. However, NACS has been and continues to be a key human service provider to all facets of the Buffalo-Niagara community. NACS offers a variety of services under four components: community support services, economic self-sufficiency, family services, and health and wellness. NACS' aim is to strengthen families and build community in a "Tradition of Caring." For more information on NACS, visit: www.nacswny.org.

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