The boys on the Tyke Novice Black went the extra mile this holiday season and seized an opportunity to give back to our community by collecting hockey equipment and cash donations in support of Donna’s Kids. Donna’s Kids (The Donna Weber Sponsored Children’s Program) provides financial assistance for kids to play hockey by assisting parents with the costs associated with minor hockey.
Part of our team's vision is to develop good hockey players as well as good citizens, which is why the opportunity for the boys needed to be meaningful, relevant and hands-on.
On December 27th, 2017, during the Jason Cripps Memorial Christmas Tournament at Activa Sportsplex, the boys collected donations of gently used hockey equipment. Donations came in from many families, some of whom generously donated a whole hockey bag of gear! Others dropped off some very valuable pieces, including skates and gloves in great shape as well as goalie pads, along with a blocker and trapper!
Also during this event, the boys circulated around the rink explaining to groups of people what the cause was and asking for cash donations. Seeing the boys take on these leadership roles was truly impressive and their dedication to maximize donations for Donna’s Kids surpassed what we had expected.
Our donation table at Activa on December 27th
The following week, the boys accepted the challenge of sorting all the gear and counting the money they had collected.
The boys sorted the gear by equipment piece, a seemingly overwhelming task with the amount we had collected, but one that was completed quite quickly with a group of 17 eager boys and their amazing parents to support them. At the same time, a few boys counted and sorted the cash donations they had collected.
Tyke Novice Black players sorting hockey equipment donations
Counting cash donations collected at Activa during the Jason Cripps Tournament
In the end, the team collected 15 hockey bags teeming with hockey gear to be given to children who have limited access and funds to buy their own equipment. The boys also collected $450.50 from our amazing Kitchener hockey community who generously donated during the Jason Cripps Tournament. Lastly, our team had also set aside $500 of our own sponsorship money to give back to the community through this initiative.
Tyke Novice Black coaches would like to thank the players, their families and the community for their generous support to make this initiative a success. We would also like to thank our sponsors for making our team’s cash donation possible. Lastly, we would like to thank Janet in the KMHA office for all her support throughout the whole process.
John-Michael Weber, Donna Weber’s son, accepts the donation from the team and personally thanks the boys for their support.
15 bags of hockey gear and $950.50 was collected