CALGARY — In memory of the Broncos bus crash tragedy, Jack Carter Chevrolet in Calgary will donate $55,000 to the Humboldt GoFundMe campaign, and will also send every stick dropped off at the dealership to charitable organizations.
According to managing partner Jay McKeen, the number of sticks left outside the dealership had grown to 650 as of Wednesday afternoon.
“Our hope would be, down the road, if a kid somewhere gets a stick, then they can say, ‘Hey, this is one of the Humboldt sticks that I’m playing with today,’” McKeen said.
“And I think that that would be a memory that would really honour those young men who perished on the weekend,” he said.
McKeen and the dealership took the #SticksOutForHumboldt social media outpouring to the next level.
Based on suggestions online, McKeen said Jack Carter decided to donate the sticks to Comrie’s Sports Equipment Bank, where they’ll go on to be used by kids in need, charities, in schools, and also at KidSport Calgary, and by The Hockey Foundation, a non-profit with a global mission to change lives through hockey.
“We’re going to be able to really take a dent out of their stick budget, because we’re going to be able to provide a lot for them,” McKeen said.
“The more equipment we have, the more kids we can help,” said Russell Gillespie, general manager of Comrie’s.
Gillespie said that in terms of his organization, they can never have too many hockey sticks on hand. Also, he’s seen firsthand the kind of work The Hockey Foundation does overseas, having just come back from a trip to India.
“They’re (the children) overjoyed with it, even if it’s roughed up or in disrepair. They have nothing, they look at it as brand new,” said Gillespie.