Cougars Peddling Touchdowns And Cold Treats
The Chatham-Kent Cougars aren’t hitting the field this summer, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t hitting the streets.
The Chatham-Kent Cougars couldn’t play this season due to COVID-19, but that doesn’t mean their expenses stopped, so president Sel Jordan got creative to help his organization.
“During COVID-19 we still had expenses like equipment and jersey purchases that we order at the beginning of the year. We started talking to Andrew Evans from Evans Wholesaler regarding fundraising ideas similar to his Kona Ice business. And we talked about options and he mentioned he had a couple of Dickie Dees he has not driven in over 25 years when he ran the Dickie Dee business,” Jordan explained about starting the fundraising scheme.
“We thought this was a great opportunity so we went with it. We were overwhelmed with the response from Chatham-Kent. Haley Dziadura handles our social media, and she reported that we had such a positive response with bringing the Dickie Dees back. Many love the nostalgia, how it brought back such good memories, we heard great stories of hearing the ringing of the bells and chasing the Dickie Dees down the street.”
That nostalgia has helped the Cougars, who have peddled their cold treats across Chatham, and recently Wallaceburg and Blenheim.
“Many parents are proud to introduce the Dickie Dee to their kids and share fun memories from their childhood. Youth in the their 20s don’t have any idea what a Dickie Dee is.”
Social Media has helped that cause, as the Chatham-Kent Cougars Dickie Dee is running a profile on both Facebook and Instagram, sharing routes, and the area they plan to travel each day.
For Jordan, who has been an integral part of the Chatham-Kent Cougars since they were founded, life has been different this summer without the game he loves.
“Life has been definitely different without football, definitely unprecedented times. We have a lot of feedback how players and parents miss it. Also, this was going to be our year to bring back youth flag football, but to keep everyone safe, we have postponed all football activities until it is safe to do so.”
For now, the Cougars will be peddling cold treats until they can again peddle touchdowns across Ontario.
The Cougars’ Dickie Dee staff, which is managed by Stephanie Dziadura, now consists of 12 workers. The group is currently looking for more staff to keep up with the local demand.