Past West Coast Eagles stars Michael Brennan, Tony Evans, Mitchell White, Rowan Jones, Don Pyke, Chris Waterman, Dwayne Lamb, Ashley McIntosh and Adrian Barich will reunite this weekend when the Eagles take on the Gold Coast Suns, all in the name of charity.
The Eagles veterans will be lending a hand together for the Medibank ‘Coats for a Cause’ match day. The West Coast Eagles Football Club, together with these philanthropic past players, are encouraging all members, supporters and fans attending the game this weekend to bring along and donate an article of clothing to assist those in need this winter.
The West Coast legends will be positioned around Patersons Stadium at gates 8, 10, 19 and 26 at this Saturday’s match to receive donations and support this worthy cause.
The West Coast Eagles and Medibank will directing all donations to Charity Link, an organisation that aims to make a difference to thousands of disadvantaged Western Australians experiencing financial hardship or crisis.
Former West Coast defender and dual premiership player Don Pyke says many families in and around Perth are currently under much financial stress, whether it be rental and property prices, or the increasing cost of living.
“There are 13,000 people in WA struggling with homelessness, and nearly 350,000 who are facing the great risk of falling into poverty. It has become increasingly difficult for many low income Western Australians to secure and maintain rental accommodation, let alone purchase a home of their own,” says Pyke.
“The idea for Coats for a Cause actually comes from the US. In Chicago it’s called Operation Warming, and the members and supporters come in and bring in jackets to help out the disadvantaged in Chicago.
“You’ve got 35,000 to 45,000 people turning up to a winter sport game bringing jackets to keep themselves warm. So we thought wouldn’t it be great if we could adopt this as a game day initiative, take it to the members and supporters, and help the people in need?
“Many of you will have an old coat, jacket or jumper in the cupboard at home that hasn't been worn for years, or that you or the kids have grown out of. So we are asking you to dig it out and bring it to the game and place it into one of the collection bins so we can help those who face a bleak winter.”
