Youngsters gather outside the CN Centre, waiting to hear why they were called to the site –  photo 250News 

Prince George BC – Giggles and screams  of delight filled the air outside the CN Centre this afternoon as a group of children got details of a special event just for them.

Earl’s Restaurant joined forces with the Prince George Cougars to take 50 children on a shopping spree at Walmart.

“We wanted to give something back to the community” says Earl’s manager/partner Dan Connelly, who along with his wife Carrie, made the funds possible.  “So we decided to give each child 100 dollars to spend on whatever they want”.

The kids all climbed on board the Cougars team bus and each will be paired with a Cougar player and a rep from Earl’s  for the duration of the one hour shopping spree.

Cougars Vice President Business  Andy Beesley said getting involved was a no brainer “The team is just back from a road trip and will be getting set for its next game but it took about half a second for us to say yes we want to do this.”

Connelly says the spree is something extra special for the kids “They may never have experienced anything like this and it’s just great that we can give them this fun afternoon.”

In addition to their Christmas gifts, each child who participated in today’s event also received a Prince George Cougars Christmas gift which included game tickets, clothing and merchandize.

Beesley adds, “We want to thank Dan, Carrie and the staff at Earls for opening their hearts to this community. The Cougars are very fortunate to have been a part of this event, and I know that our players enjoyed spending time with these kids and helping to provide something special for them that I’m sure they will remember for a long time.”