Without the numerous volunteers, supporters and most importantly, the families that helped out our staff all weekend long, Quest for the Crown 2 would not have been nearly as successful as it turned out to be.
Simply put, the Quest 2 festival was a real family affair. And seeing all of these different families come together, meet and interact with each other was by far the most heart-warming and memorable aspect of the entire festival.
There’s the Goldman family, who came out for the sole purpose of keeping Justin, the event founder, coherent and sane in the midst of all the madness. That included his beautiful girlfriend Taeleen, who stood by his side as they pulled out a string of “all-nighters” while managing the event and preparing for the following morning.
There’s the Jaeger family, who once again drove all the way from Minnesota to act as vital staff members. They were not only responsible for setting everything up, but they also helped tear things down for us as well. Lance Jaeger, who is the official Quest 2 event planner, relied heavily on their support and they never failed to come through with hours of hard work over the weekend.
But one family in particular was embraced by our staff more than any other because of the fight they are currently facing. The Pfankuch family came out to help us hammer home the purpose of the event – to fight cancer and illuminate that fight through real-life experiences.
Not only did Andrew “Cookie” Pfankuch choose to honor his invitation to suit up for our Skate with the Stars game, he also pushed through many physical barriers by playing the entire game start to finish. The Hockey Guild had no expectations for Andrew – we just wanted to give him the opportunity to skate and have some fun! It was totally up to him as to how much he wanted to play. But even with the nerves and uneasiness he may have felt, Andrew played the entire game without taking one shift off.
Here’s a few words from the event founder about Andrew’s efforts in the game:
“Andrew’s play in Skate with the Stars was an absolute inspiration to myself. There was a direct correlation between us that I’ll never forget. Because I was watching him skate hard shift after shift, I was keeping many pucks out of the net that definitely should have gone in. I tried to mirror his efforts – he put everything out there on the ice and I tried to do the same. And even though we lost the game, it was still by far the most memorable hockey experience of my life. I could feel myself feeding off his fight. He fought hard and battled to the bitter end and I know I did as well.
Andrew proved to me that the strength to prevail truly comes from within, no matter who you are or what you’re dealing with. When Andrew played the entire game to the point of exhaustion, then came out the next day to just hang out and support the event proved that the Quest is a worthwhile journey that can bring a purpose to those that are currently fighting against cancer.”
– Founder Justin Goldman
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As you can see, the families that came together over the weekend to interact and make new friendships is the end result of a festival that is quickly becoming known as the most heart-warming charitable event in Colorado. And that’s exactly what we are aiming for. The list of families that supported our event continues:
There’s the LeCaine family, one laden with a wealth of hockey history. Bill LeCaine was an honorary member of our Skate with the Stars celebrity game and we were proud to invite his son Billy to play with us at the last minute. The entire LeCaine family was there to cheer him on and support the event and that brought a special historic touch to the weekend. His grace on the ice and kindness off the ice was a memorable presence we’ll never forget.
Then there’s Jan and Jeff Smith, our favorite family from the Hyland Hills Jaguars youth hockey association. They brought a very special touch to the event thanks to Charlie’s Caps, which were embraced by the crowd and donned on the heads of many players throughout the weekend. And Jeff’s photography on Saturday for the Skate with the Stars game allowed us to promote the game to CBS News 4 and provide players with memories that now last forever.
We could go on and on and on, but we think you get the point. The Quest 2 festival was a real family affair and The Hockey Guild cannot thank these families enough for their support. We are already looking forward to next year!
The Donation Station is down for the remainder of the 2009 year but will open again in January, 2010!
Quest for the Crown 
had an awesome time for an awesome cause…thanks Justin for sacrificing yourself to make this happen!!