Mike O’Grady – Community Builder

Michael O’Grady is being nominated for “Community Builder” by the Guelph Ringette Association (GRA) because of his outstanding commitment and dedication to the sport and youth in Guelph and throughout the Western Region. Mike has been actively involved in the GRA for the past 10 years. He has been an instrumental and guiding force in this association and the community. His outstanding activities include:

· Increased awareness of the sport to the overall community

· Directly helped to double the membership of the GRA through a combination of special events and fundraising activities.

· Participated on the GRA Executive for nine of the past ten years in a variety of roles including fund raising, coach/player development and Western Region representative.

· His fundraising efforts have raised over $150k for the GRA, which served to keep registration fees low over the past 10 years while the sport gained recognition and popularity.

· Has been one of three individuals leading the delivery of the new technical coaching certification for Ontario Ringette.

· Coached various teams from 4 different associations in nine of the past ten years – 7 of the teams were Provincial teams.

· His participation on the executive of the Western Region over the past five years has also helped to expand the presence and caliber of Ringette to other communities

· Currently coaches the GRA Petite A team, even though his own children are not members of the association – demonstrating his commitment to the sport and our community’s youth

· Has committed to coach a Provincial team for the GRA again next year

In total, Mike devotes over 500 hours of his time per year for coaching teams, mentoring and certification of coaches, and active participation in the GRA and Western Region associations.

Over the past ten years, Mike has been one of the key driving forces behind the development and growth of Ringette in Guelph and has contributed to its success in other communities in Western Region.