Headlines – Bell Warriors

2021 Bell Warriors Volunteer of the Year TRACEY GERVAIS

April 2, 2021/in Headlines /by Paul Stewart

2020 was an absolute write off and so far 2021 hadn’t looked much better until a caring Warriors parent and volunteer came up with an idea. That person was Tracey Gervais and her idea was to raise some badly needed money for our youth football club while engaging our football community to remember why we love our great sport. The March Madness Month-Long Marathon Fundraiser was launched and as they say, the rest was history. Today, the Bell Warriors surprised Tracey with an unprecedented April presentation of our Bell Warriors Football Club Volunteer of the Year award …. …. and it couldn’t have more deserved.

Starting on March 1st, Tracey launched a fundrasier Facebook group and auctioned off opportunities to win prizes. Some were bought, some were donated and eventually, this concept also included 50/50 draws. People put in bids in a Facebook comment associated with the item they wanted. There were a limited number of bids allowed and when the limit was reached, the auctions were closed. Bidders e-transferred funds to the Warriors and when all the bids were paid, Tracey made a live Facebook random selection of the winner. Despite COVID, Tracey was committed to have fun with our supporters by providing a safe way to get them involved again. If there’s one thing about our Warriors families, they love to get involved.

When all was said and done, on the final night March 31st, the fundraiser had raised an amazing $10,000 which will go towards our club rebuild. Paul Stewart (Warriors President) says, “Our sport is such incredible sport. We would say it’s the ultimate team sport because it encourages and rewards teamwork, hardwork, focus, and dedication. It’s all about doing what you can for your teammates, coaches, team, and club. It’s about valuing family because we are a family and no one exemplifies that more than our Tracey Gervais. She had such a tireless commitment to this marathon fundraiser. I was so inspiring that we felt in this unprecedented time, we would break with tradition and make an unprecedented presentation of our annual award in April.” Mr Stewart continues, “It was the least we could do for setting such a great example for our youth and families. It was a true honour to present Tracey Gervais with her surprise honour this morning on behalf of our proud club and caring families. BRAVO TRACEY!!!”

More details about our proud legacy of Volunteers of the Year can be found on our Volunteer Page.

Watch Tracey Gervais’ reaction to her presentation of her Bell Warriors Football Club Volunteer of the Year Award:

Warriors Alum Kurtis Schaefer Goes Pro

February 10, 2021/in Headlines /by Paul Stewart

CONGRATULATIONS to Kurtis Schaefer of Stittsville who has just signed with the Hamburg Pioneers (Hamburg, Germany) to play Pro Football!

Kurtis was always driven with a passion for football. His passion took him to play for the Queens Gaels for 5 years where he was honoured to be a Team Captain. Prior to that, Kurtis played for our sister club at Midget, the Bel-Air Norsemen, where he earned the NCAFA Midget Rookie of the Year Award. Before that, many years ago, Kurtis started with our Warriors where he was a perennial major-award winner and a driving force behind Warriors teams that won the A-Cup and went to 4 straight league A-Cup Championships! More recently, Kurtis won the Bell Warriors Jim Wagdin Post-Secondary Scholarship in 2016.

“I was lucky enough to coach Kurtis every year he was with the Warriors and his father, Terry Schaefer, is a great friend and coached with me all those years. Even from his first days playing football with our Bell Warriors, Kurtis had the unique attributes of size and speed. He was always a strong young man but his agility, aggression and speed separated him from his peers. He has fought through injuries and worked relentlessly to continue to grow as an athlete and it is exciting to see him continue his football career playing pro-football in Germany.” – Paul Stewart, Bell Warriors President

Kurtis was always willing to take feedback enthusiastically while putting his every effort into becoming a more skilled player. His hard work, perseverance and commitment have served him well over the years. WELL DONE KURTIS AND ENJOY THIS EXPERIENCE OF A LIFETIME!

BINGOLAND Continues to Support our Warriors

February 9, 2021/in Headlines /by Paul Stewart

Bingoland South continues to support the Warriors even through the pandemic. Parking lot bingos were held this past fall in a creative solution to pandemic restrictions which raised badly needed monies for charities and non-profits including the Bell Warriors.

“We wouldn’t have a football club if it wasn’t for the continued support of Bingoland South. It’s that basic. Our operating expenses continue to rise annually and the growth in expenses far exceeds our ability to recoup revenues from player fees. Bingoland South support allows us to keep our fees affordable and our sport accesssible to all regardless of their financial situation. We rely heavily on this support and we can’t thank Bingoland South enough for all they do for our Bell Warriors Club and players.” – Paul Stewart, Bell Warriors President

For more details on Bingoland South go to: https://www.bingolandsouth.com/ or contact us at info@bellwarriors.ca to become a Bingolandd South volounteer for our club.

Warriors Partners Step Up

January 27, 2021/in Headlines /by Paul Stewart

We are sure that you are all well aware, the pandemic has had a dramatic impact in our community. As individuals, parents, businesses, and in the case of non-profits like the Bell Warriors Football Club, we are all affected in one way or another. Although we are hopeful to be in a position to offer football programs in the coming year, we experienced huge financial shortfalls in 2020.

Two of our long-time sponsors recognized our plight and stepped up to lend a hand to ensure we could keep our 66-year-old amateur youth football club going through this unprecedented time. The Warriors supply all of the required equipment for all of our players and it is stored in climate-controlled facilities at Primo Self Storage. Chris Milosek, the President of Primo Developments Inc., has been a valued partner with the Warriors for more than 15 years. They donated a trailer to the club to store and carry our promotional items and game-day canteen supplies in 2013. They have sponsored player fees in the past, our most recent Bantam Leadership Award, and this summer, they chose to subsidize the storage of our equipment by more than $5,000.

Most recently, our friends and partners at The ALE, Amberwood Lounge and Eatery, in Stittsville framed a Super Bowl Take Out Special Offer with a portion of the sales going to support our Bell Warriors Football Club! The ALE General Manager Sarah St. Michael and Assistant General Manager Ben O’Neill have been integral partners with the Warriors over the years hosting our annual Golf Tournament Fundraiser, our Warriors Team Banquets and Silent Auctions, our Warriors Volunteer Appreciation Night, and Warriors AGM. This will be the second year that they have hosted this special offer fundraiser for our club. LEARN MORE ABOUT THE SPECIAL SUPER BOWL TAKE OUT OFFER.

Our fees normally only cover approximately 45% of our budget so we always have work to do to ensure we find caring, supportive partners to help us continue to make our sport affordable and accessible. The ALE and Primo Self Storage have been amongst those partners and in times like these, the meaning of their support becomes even more important and more appreciated.

The Bell Warriors Football Club stands for RESPECT-RESPONSIBILITY-DIGNITY-FITNESS-GENEROUSITY-LEADERSHIP. Since 1955, the Bell Warriors Football Club has offered football programs for boys and girls ages 8-23 in the communities of Britannia, Bayshore, Bells Corners, Richmond, Munster and Stittsville. For more information about the Bell Warriors program, email president@bellwarriors.ca or check out their website at www.bellwarriors.ca.

Paul Stewart Bell Warriors President; Sarah St. Michael, The ALE General Manager, Dan Crabtree, Warriors VP of Finance

L to R: Paul Stewart, Bell Warriors President; Chris Milosek, President of Primo Developments Inc.

Brad Cowan Signs with REDBLACKS!!

January 15, 2021/in Headlines /by Paul Stewart

The Ottawa REDBLACKS continue to build their 2021 training camp roster, inking lineback, 2020 CFL Draft selection BRAD COWAN!!! Brad is a Warriors alumni, Jim Wagdin Post-Secondary Warriors Scholarship winner, Bel-Air Norsemen alumni and Yates Cup winner with the Laurier University Golden Hawks.

CONGRATS BRAD!!!! Couldn’t be happier for or prouder of you. Now the real works begins!

Special Training Offer by Warriors Alum

September 3, 2020/in Headlines /by Paul Stewart

Distinguished Warriors alumni Sam Sabourin, who was an All-Canadian playing for the Queens Gaels, has launched a special training plan for Bell Warriors athletes. Based out of Stittsville, Sam is the owner of Between the Bumpers. Go to this link for more details: http://tiny.cc/ob0usz

Prior to Sam starring with Queens Gaels, Sam was the a multi-major award winner with the Warriors starting with Best OL at Tyke, MVP Tyke, Best Defensive Player Mosquito, MVP Mosquito, Coaches Choice Pee Wee, Coaches Choice Bantam and finally MVP at Bantam. Sam was also a two-time winner of the Jim Wagdin Bell Warriors Scholarship. His playing days at Queens were just as impressive seeing him win the 2010-11 OUA Rookie of the Year, CIS Defensive player of the week, OUA Defensive player of the week twice, set school record for solo tackles in a season with 50 (2nd most in CIS), and set a school single game record for solo tackles in a game with 13 vs. McMaster.

Sam would have been a top 10 CFL Canadian draft pick but chose to move on to the business world. Sam has been described as the best football player never to play pro, after declaring himself ineligible for the CFL draft. He has worked as a Strength and Conditioning Coach, and lectured at multiple universities, early in his career, and is now doing some great things for competitive athletes and regular people alike!

Sam Sabourin #44 taking a well-deserved rest with his Queens Gaels

THANKS SAM FOR REMEMBERING YOUR ROOTS AND STEPPING UP TO SUPPORT OUR WARRIORS!

2020 Jim Wagdin Scholarship Winners Announced

September 2, 2020/in Headlines /by Paul Stewart

It’s official! The 2019 Jim Wagdin Bell Warriors Scholarship winners have been announced and this year’s winners are Ethan Ryan of Carleton Place and Daniel Briere of Ottawa.

Ethan Ryan describes some highlights from his many years with the Warriors as, “The skills and life lessons I learned from the Bell Warriors football club were invaluable and contributed to my overall personal growth in becoming a man. Each year a different coach brought new direction and advice on how to be the best team member possible but overall the messages were always the same. I was taught to value teammates, to give of myself, because someone was depending on me. I was taught to have compassion for my team mates and the opposing teams. I learned to be committed to myself and to my team. These lessons forced me to become responsible. Playing with the Bell Warriors required dedication and I learned to give respect and was given my fair share. I was an award winner with the Bell Warriors every year I played for them. The Bell Warriors made me the football player and person that I am today.” Ethan will be at Carleton University this year studying music and is hopeful to play football with the Carleton Ravens when USports returns. He closed his application with the pledge to, “strive to make the Bell Warriors proud of me.”

Daniel Briere says of his days with the Warriors, “The Bell Warriors taught me what hard work was from a very young age. I was around 11 when I started my first year with the Warriors and it was an experience like no other. The Bell Warriors football organization gave me the opportunity to create bonds that will last a lifetime and help me create a work ethic that I feel will keep with me until the day I retire from whatever is awaiting me in the future.” Like all of our successful scholarship winners, Daniel has a proud record of volunteering in our community. He was a active organizer of his high school’s Relay for Life which raises badly needed monies for the Canadian Cancer Society. Daniel also was a “Buddy” for Ausome. Ausome is an organization that gives children with autism a space to engage in physical activity. Daniel ovserves that, “Being brought up with the Bell Warriors and learning about teamwork has helped me to be successful with these events in my community.”

Join us in congratulating these two exceptional young men who continue to represent the “Warrior Way” and our program with integrity and pride. CONGRATULATIONS ETHAN AND DANIEL!

A special thanks also goes out to KEVIN PIDGEON, President and CEO of the Nautical Lands Group who was our exclusive GOLD SPONSOR of this year’s two Jim Wagdin Scholarships (READ MORE).

Kevin Pidgeon – THANKS KEV for continuing to care!!!

NCAFA Return to Play – UPDATE

June 30, 2020/in Headlines /by Paul Stewart

NCAFA Return to Play
Update – July 2020

Football Canada officially released its Return to Football Guidelines for the country on June 19, 2020. This will shortly be followed up with OFA guidelines based on rules set out by the Province of Ontario.

As we review the guidelines presented, NCAFA and its member Clubs are working diligently to ensure any return to play strategy has player, parent, coach and volunteer safety first and foremost in our decisions.

We have heard from many of you and certainly appreciate your desire for information. At this time NCAFA will continue with the suspension of all tackle football activity until at least September 1st while we evaluate options as to if / when it is safe to restart our programs.

Thank you in advance for your understanding and patience.

Ontario Iron Works (The Schwartzes) Step Up!

June 24, 2020/in Headlines /by Paul Stewart

For more than a decade now, when the Bell Warriors have found themselves in need, the Schwartz family have been there to step up for our club and young players. Well they’ve done it again! The Bell Warriors Football Club is excited to announce that Ontario Iron Works, which is owned by Carmen Schwartz and her brother Kevin, have just made a substantial sponsorship donation to our club and is now our newest Gold Sponsor!

The Warriors find themselves in a precarious position this year, as many do, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “We took on substantial expenses in the Winter months as we always do every year preparing for our April ind00r clinics, Spring Co-Ed Flag football program and Spring Girl’s Touch football program. We also spent money refurbishing and reconditioning all of our helmets for the fall tackle football season and this year we had to make the difficult decision to purchase more helmets to ensure we had enough helmets in inventory. Aside from that, we still have to pay to store our equipment and insure it. With next to no revenues for this calendar year, we have been forced to dip into our reserves quite substantially to maitain operations. COVID-19 has had a dramatic effect on our non-profit youth club”, states Paul Stewart, Bell Warriors President.

Carmen & her husband Ken Schwartz were both substantial volunteers with the Bell Warriors over the past decade. Ken was a coach and equipment manager with our club while Carmen was a team manager and eventually a VP of Administration. In 2015, Carmen was named our Bell Warriors Volunteer of the Year and was honoured as the league’s (NCAFA) Volunteer of the Year. Their two sons Daniel and Steven both played for years with our club and their daughter Kayla Schwartz was often an eager club volunteer as well.

“The Bell Warriors give so much back to their players, families and our community. They became a fixture in our family’s lives and we wanted to be there to help them especially this year knowing the challenges the club is facing due to this pandemic”, said Ken Schwartz.

“You can’t beat the Schwartzes. They are great friends with many of our legacy volunteers and for them to continue to give back long after their sons have graduated from the program is a testament to their business, Ontario Iron Works, and their entire family. This is a financial and emotional pat on the back. We desperately needed both and can’t thank the Schwartzes enough for being there (again) for our Warriors”, summarizes Mr. Stewart.

For 65 years, the Bell Warriors Football Club has offered football programs for boys and girls ages 7-23 in the communities of Britannia, Bayshore, Bells Corners, Crystal Beach, Richmond, Munster and Stittsville. To learn more about the Bell Warriors Football Club sponsorship program, go to www.bellwarriors.ca/sponsors/ or email info@bellwarriors.ca.

Ken Schwartz, Head Controller Ontario Iron Works and long-time Bell Warriors volunteer. Ontario Iron Works is the newest Bell Warriors Football Club Gold Sponsor thanks to a very generous donation made recently by Ken & Carmen Schwartz on behalf of Ontario Iron Works.

Kevin Pidgeon Funds 2020 Scholarships!

June 3, 2020/in Headlines /by Paul Stewart

“The Bell Warriors Football Club is pleased and excited to announce that Warriors alumni parent and alumni coach Kevin Pidgeon has stepped up to fund this year’s two Bell Warriors Jim Wagdin Post-Secondary Scholarships,” stated Paul Stewart, Bell Warriors Football President

“In funding year’s scholarships, I wanted to be sure that this year’s bursaries could continue to be made without the Warriors having to impact the club’s operating funds. Jim (Wagdin) is a tremendous visionary and I am truly proud of all that he has accomplished with the club.” – Kevin Pidgeon, COO Nautical Lands Group.

Jim Wagdin volunteered for the Bell Warriors for 24 amazing years as a coach, VP and eventual President of the Club until 2011. Mr. Wagdin was a man of character, dignity and distinction who set a tremendous example for our young players and families. In 2011, upon his retirement from the Warriors, Jim was bestowed the honour as the Bell Warriors 1st Inductee into the Bell Warriors Hall of Fame.

In 1999, the Bell Warriors initiated the Warrior Scholarship program offering two $1,000 scholarships to ex-Warriors who are pursuing post-secondary education. Participation in a post-secondary football program is not a prerequisite. There are however, three selection criteria – Academics, Warrior Experience, and Community Involvement. An independent committee, as chosen by the Club executive, makes the selections. $40,000 has been rewarded to date to Warrior alumni for their pursuit of post-secondary education. The Warriors support our players on and off the field!

“This gesture couldn’t have come at a better time. Our Bell Warriors Football Club is facing unprecedented financial challenges which puts our non-profit sports club in a precarious position. Despite the fiscal challenges our club is facing, we felt it was important to continue to support our Warriors alumni now more than ever by continuing to offer our scholarships. We had already incurred considerable expenses, however, associated with our preparations for our Winter Football clinics, Co-Ed Spring Flag Football program, Spring Girl’s Touch Football program and our Tackle Football program. Kevin’s considerable donation is not only appreciated but it is reaffirming that the Warriors are on the right track. It’s a humbling pat-on-the-back to all of our volunteers who have selflessly given to their community over the years. We can’t thank Kevin Pidgeon and his family enough for continuing to value our club and goals,” sums up President Stewart.

A HUGE THANK YOU KEV!!!

Kevin Pidgeon – THANKS KEV for continuing to care!!!

Kevin’s two sons Brendan and Art both played Tyke through Bantam with the Warriors.

Warriors Alum Brad Cowan Drafted by our REDBLACKS!

May 20, 2020/in Headlines /by Paul Stewart

Bell Warriors and Sacred Heart high school alumni Brad Cowan will start his professional football career in his own backyard. The Ottawa Redblacks made the Ashton native their first pick in the sixth round of the recent Canadian Football League entry draft. The six-foot, three-inch 235-pound linebacker is a graduate of the Sir Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks where he won the Yates Cup, emblematic of the Ontario University Association championship, in his rookie season. In the 2019 season, Cowan had 27 tackles and was credited with 2 ½ sacks.

“We think he’ll be good to compete in special teams right away,” first-year Redblacks head coach Paul LaPolice said of Cowan after the draft. Cowan played peewee and bantam with the Warriors which draws players from Stittsville, Richmond, Goulbourn, Bells Corners, Bayshore, Britannia and Crystal Beach. He won awards at both levels before moving on to the Bel-Air Norsemen for midget play. It was there he won the National Capital Amateur Football Association league championship and first caught the attention of university recruiters.

“One thing I always appreciated in my years coaching Brad was that he had great football instincts and was very athletic and agile for such a big young man,” says Paul Stewart, his former Warriors coach. Cowan received the Bell Warriors Jim Wagdin Scholarship in 2016. At that time, he acknowledged that the club had taught
him the importance of teamwork, commitment and putting the best interests of the team ahead of

“We are so happy for and proud of Brad with all he has accomplished,” Stewart told Your Community Voice. “It is awesome to see him continue to strive to fulfill his dream of playing pro football in the CFL and to have an opportunity to do it with our home team the Redblacks is truly amazing.”

Courtesy of Our Community Voice, John Curry, Vol. 3 No. 2, May 21, 2020

Happy Mother’s Day

May 10, 2020/in Headlines /by Paul Stewart

“Behind all of your stories is always your mother’s story, because hers is where yours begins.”

Happy Mother’s Day to all of our Warriors Moms!

Post-Secondary Scholarships a Priority – Even Now

May 7, 2020/in Headlines /by Paul Stewart

The Bell Warriors Football Club have had some really
tremendous young men represent our club long … …

COVID-19 Affects Spring Football Programs

April 13, 2020/in Headlines /by Paul Stewart

It is with regret, but not surprise, that we have had to cancel the Spring Co-Ed Flag Football program and Girl’s Touch Football program due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There is still some hope that we may have options for our Girl’s Touch Football program later in the year. Refunds have been recently sent to all who paid on line.

The Bell Warriors Football Club hope this finds you relatively well and healthy. Please stay safe everyone and strong. Our conviction will get us through this and BETTER DAYS WILL COME!

Coronovirus Update

March 13, 2020/in Headlines /by Paul Stewart

Here are some great guidelines to Isolate at Home: READ MORE

Stay up-to-date on best practices, travel restrictions and social distancing to be sure we are all doing our part to limit the impact of this highly infectious virus.