Posted at: 10/03/2012 5:32 PM
Updated at: 10/03/2012 7:00 PM
By: Todd Wilson

Print Story  Email to a Friend

Wild Staff Members Volunteer at Non-Profits During Lockout

All the impressive assists, goals and body checks made by the Minnesota Wild are on hold right now. The NHL lockout has pretty much shut down business.

Aaron Sickman says, the front office of the Wild organization has decided not to sit around.

"We are tying to provide our employees with more opportunity to keep themselves engaged by giving back to the community," Sickman said.

So employees who aren't as busy as they normally would be with the season and practices are volunteering at local non-profit organizations.

"We lay out the opportunities for employees and let them pick and choose what fits in their schedule," Sickman said.

Wild employees have volunteered at Horace Mann school restocking their library, serving pot luck dinner at the Ronald McDonald House in St. Paul and repainting a Salvation Army service center.

"Lots of wear and tear on that building so we needed all the outside doors painted, we needed all the windows cleared and painted. ... So they made sure to do that," Annette Bauer of the Salvation Army said.

Bauer says, that wasn't enough, Wild employees are coming back to help with their Coats for Kids program.

"Hopefully we can make this really simple so they can also have a little fun to. It's not just about getting that work done," Bauer said.