Island Storm players share Christmas with local families

The Island Storm is providing its players with the comforts of home away from home this holiday season, giving them a break from their busy schedule.

Families have volunteered to host Storm players in their home for an occasional meal, friendship and conversation,  or just a place to hang out through the club's adopted families program.

The team feels it's especially important for everyone to have a place to go during the holidays.

"Being a professional athlete is arguably one of the stereotypical 'dream jobs' but what many don't realize is the sacrifice that comes with it," said senior vice president Brett Poirier.

"The majority of Storm players travel thousands of miles to play pro on the Island, and of course, that means saying goodbye to family and friends for many months."

Each of the players is paired up with an Island family and visits at least once a week for dinner.

The program was started six years ago by a high school principal in Summerside when she found out players had nowhere to go on the holidays.

Now, all of the players essentially get an adopted family to spend the holidays with.

"We're there to give them a home away from home," explained Ray Gaudet, who along with wife Bev is hosting Storm forward Du'Vaughn Maxwell and guard Chris Johnson.

"It's the comradeship, it's the fact that we get to know them and their families and they get to know us and our families and especially at Christmas time," Gaudet added.

'This program is really a blessing'

Johnson is used to spending Christmas away from family and friends. He's been away from home playing basketball since he was 18.

"It's an honour to have this opportunity to be here around some good people, being invited into the house with a teammate of mine to be able to have good meals and good conversations away from the basketball court," Johnson explained.

"You come here, you get a homely feel, being miles away from home, it means so much. This program is really a blessing to be honest with you, and to be part of it means a lot."

'Really beautiful people to us'

Du'Vaughn Maxwell, who's in his first year with the club, said he's looking to spending the holidays with his adopted family.

"Nobody here's with me," Maxwell shared. "Ray and Bev have been really beautiful people to us, make sure that we're OK, checking in on us, even with me getting sick. Having something there makes it that much easier to stay here in Canada."

The program now starts when the players arrive for training camp and runs until they leave after the season ends.

"We tend to take for granted the sacrifices made when watching a game-winning three, or a highlight dunk, but these athletes are human and that's why I'm so glad this program is able to give them meaningful interaction with Islanders," Brett Poirier said.

"The respect and appreciation is on both sides and because of the benefits it offers players and hosts, it's something we look to continue year after year."

The Gaudet family already has plans to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with Maxwell and Johnson.

"They're big guys, so they like to eat," Gaudet said with a big smile on his face. "I bought a big giant turkey this year to make sure it was enough for them to eat. It was a $55 turkey, I think there'll be enough."

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