‘Strength and resilience:’ Riders Spencer Moore visits La Loche

He tried doing taxes and being a salesman, but no offseason work Spencer Moore found has been as rewarding as his role with the Red Cross.

Moore is part of the Imagine No Bullying program that is a partnership between the Roughriders and the Red Cross. It’s taken him all over the province talking to kids about meaningful relationships and being kind to one another.

But this year it took Moore further than ever before, all the way up to northern Saskatchewan.

Moore had thought he’d been north before, but he was soon corrected.

“I was in Meadow Lake (the kids) all laughed because they were like ‘that’s not really north,’” Moore said with a chuckle.

Thanks @spencermoore80 for visiting northern #Saskatchewan this week. @sskroughriders and @RedCrossSK #NSK pic.twitter.com/y5I9z16onT

— Cameco Community (@camecocommunity) December 8, 2017

Moore visited five northern communities during his early December trip including La Loche, the site of a devastating school shooting just two years ago.

“The thing that really stuck out to me was just the strength and resilience that the kids and the staff showed as well as the people in the community,” Moore said. “Of course they’re still healing, there’s no timeline on something like that for how long it’s going to take.”

“The kids I spoke with, they all seem like they are great kids and on an upswing and rallying around each other and trying to heal together which was quite impressive to me,” he added.

When Moore arrived at the school he spent the morning with the younger kids and in the afternoon he spoke to the older kids. In La Loche, an extra talk was added to the schedule.

“La Loche is in the process of getting back their six-man football team, they had just been out of the league. They’re using that to rally together,” he explained.

Moore found the support for local teams very encouraging.

“It’s great to see they’re putting emphasis behind athletics because like I tell the kids, there’s so many things you can learn in athletics that will carry you far beyond the game. That was a really special time for me.”

A special time he gets because he’s part of a special team. One of the things Moore loves about being a Roughrider is that it allows him the opportunity to do meaningful work in the province.

“I have this platform that I can use to give back to the community of Saskatchewan that’s welcomed me with open arms for five years now,” said Moore who has moved to Saskatchewan full time.

“That’s why I’m putting down roots here because I’ve been welcomed here and it’s my duty, I feel, to give back.”