With Grey Cup Festival week well underway, Thursday is the first day that’s booked full of events around the city.

For many CFL players, the day started with a visit to the YWCA.

The players and the Grey Cup itself visited the women and children at the centre.

“The fact that the CFL has taken the time to come and be with us today to invest in the children that we work with and the women that we work with, to bring messages of hope, and to have a special moment with the Grey Cup is something that we’ve been looking forward to for a long time,” says Melissa Coomber-Bendtson, CEO of the YWCA.

Dozens of people gathered to hear speeches from the Coomber-Bendtson, Mayor Sandra Masters, CFL Commissioner Randy Ambrosie, and CFL Defensiveman Lorenzo Mauldin.

“At the heart of the CFL are the communities across the country that we serve,” says Ambrosie.

“The Grey Cup is a time of celebration, but it’s also a reminder of the power of sport to inspire and bring people together. It’s our absolute honour to work with the CFLPA to visit these women and families at YWCA Regina, and to thank the amazing staff for all they do for this community.”

The players at the event gave away CFL backpacks, signed autographs, took photos, and chatted with the children and their families.

Geno Lewis, Wide Receiver with the Montreal Alouettes, was also at the event meeting fans.

“This is huge because they don’t get to see this every day… Honestly some of them look at us a little different and we’re just regular people too. We just want to help these kids be successful and do great things in life,” says Lewis.

Not only did the players and CFL and YWCA officials emphasize how important this event was to the children, but there was also a lot of praise for the mothers at the YWCA and in the community and how mothers fight for opportunities for their children every day.