Chalk another one up in the win column for the Delta Police Department.
The DPD came away with a 7-3 win at the fifth annual Battle of the Badges Hockey game Wednesday morning at North Delta’s Sungod Arena.
The player of the game award went to reserve Constable Rachel Budden, who has aspirations of being a sworn member in the near future.
She currently plays defence for the Fraser Valley Jets, and previously played varsity hockey for the University of Toronto Institute of Technology, and B.C. Midget Triple AAA.
Budden was outstanding on defence and added four assists.
This is a fun change of pace.. @deltapolice traffic unit providing traffic control for the annual #antibullying Police VS Fire hockey game. Now a 1-1 game with a wild @deltasd37 crowd in attendance ! pic.twitter.com/VnwW08X6WD
— Delta Police Traffic Unit (@DPDTraffic) February 26, 2020
The real winners, however, were the cheering students in the stands, some 1,900 from grades 4-7 from 16 Delta schools all wearing pink in support of Pink Shirt Day.
This year’s Pink Shirt Day theme is Lift Each Other Up, a simple, yet powerful message encouraging us all to look beyond our differences and celebrate the things that make us unique. With one in five students affected by bullying, Pink Shirt Day is an important reminder to practice kindness and compassion, and to promote anti-bullying, which is really about allowing people to be who they are – uniquely made to fulfill an important purpose; to bring their unique flare, look, perspective, and voice to the world.
Battle of the Badges supports Pink Shirt Day by driving home the point that although we may look different and fulfill different roles, it doesn’t mean one is better than the other. Celebrating each other’s differences and being united in our diversity is powerful. Ultimately, when the Fire and Police Departments bring their different roles, responsibilities and talents together, their impact in our community is even greater.
Joining in the fun during the morning was local mascots including Sparky the firedog, DPD Safety Bear, Del from the Delta Ice Hawks, and Bob the Vancouver Canadians Brown Bear.
The annual Battle of the Badges was a collaboration of Delta fire and police departments, Delta School District, and the City of Delta.
