Ron Asselstine

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Ron Asselstine co-founded the Guelph Wish Fund for Children with Alan Ferris in 1984 and served as President/Treasurer of the charity from 1984 until 2010. Born in Toronto, he has resided in Guelph since 1947. Ron and Wendy, his beautiful wife of over 40 years, have two children and four grandchildren.

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Ron played numerous sports within the Guelph community. He started officiating ice hockey in 1969 with the Guelph Hockey Referees Association, and eventually became one of the top officials in the WHA and the NHL. He officiated over 2000 regular season games, numerous international and All-Star games in both leagues, and Stanley Cup playoff games. During his 29 years in professional hockey, he also recruited and mentored young officials. Ron retired in 2001, and performed some consulting work for the OHA as an independent investigator, a part of the OHA Abuse Prevention Services Program.

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Ron’s service to the community and people around him has earned him countless accolades, including an induction into the Guelph Sports Hall of Fame (2004), the City of Guelph Mayor’s Community Service Award, the Rotary Club "Paul Harris” Fellowship, the National Association of Sports Officials "Gold Whistle” Award, the Sertoma Club "Service to Mankind” Award, a Prime Minister of Canada Citation, the Governor General of Canada "Caring Canadian” Award, the Queen Elizabeth 2 Golden Jubilee Medal (2010), and the Guelph/Wellington Children’s Foundation’s Benefactor Award.

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In 2012, after 30 years of dedicated service to the Guelph Wish Fund for Children, Ron and Wendy 'retired' to enjoy more time with their children and grandchildren. Although their day-to-day involvement is missed, Ron and his legacy continue to be the motivation to serve our kids in the community.