A pair of Tisdale Bus Lines busses were filled with enthusiastic Battalion fans Sunday. That may not have been possible without the help of some generous businesses. PHOTO COURTESY BATTALION FAN FACEBOOK PAGE.
The Battalion traveling 7th Man is getting a lot of attention again throughout this playoff season.
On Sunday, two busloads of Battalion faithful traveled to Oshawa for game two.
But as the Battalion Fan Club was working to fill a second bus, a handful of local businesses stepped forward to help.
Phil McWeeeney, owner of McWeeney’s Service Centre, decided to step up by sponsoring a pair of seats on the bus.
“Initially we thought we couldn’t go so I knew the Club was trying to fill the bus, I decided to buy two tickets and just put it out on FaceBook on the Battalion Fan Page,” said McWeeney, who ended up going on the bus with his son too.
“We wanted to give it to someone who couldn’t afford it. My wife is with Century 21 and we said we would just pay for them. It wasn’t anything about publicity we just wanted to do something nice.”
Phil and his wife Lisa then put out challenges to other garages and realtors to step up and help someone else who couldn’t afford it, and allow them to experience being part of the collective Battalion 7th Man on the road.
Battalion Booster Club Fan Bus Coordinator Nicholas Forsyth was thrilled to see the support as at least 10 seats were purchased by generous businesses who wanted to help out.
“It is great to see the spirit of this community rally around die hard fans who could not otherwise attend a road game,” said Forsyth.
“I wish everyone in this community had the generosity of those who donated money, spots on the bus, or even prizes to give away.”
McWeeney was thrilled to see how appreciative the recipients were.
“Giving back to the community, making businesses like myself and my wife, we can afford it, so why not give it back so its one of the greatest feelings in the world, just seeing their face and the thank you that’s enough,” he said.
“You know you always hear ‘pay it forward.’ I think the more of us that do it the better things will be, and North Bay is a city that will do that.”