The Huntsville Sting U13 Black Team could be the recipient of the Chevrolet Good Deeds Cup and win $100,000 for Food4Kids Muskoka!
The Chevrolet Good Deeds Cup is a Canada-wide contest between hockey teams of U11, U13, and U15 years of age. The team and their friends/community that did and documented the most good deeds in 6 weeks (between January 19 and March 3, 2024) will win an amazing $ 100,000 for the charity of their choice!
Sarah Roberts, Team Manager for Huntsville Sting U13, and the coaching staff agree that being part of a hockey team means more than just what happens on the ice, so they embraced the challenge and were keen to make a difference in their town. “We believed that whatever the outcome, this would be a great experience for our players and community, and would be a win-win situation for all!” explained Roberts.
Roberts and Coach Paul Goyda presented the idea to all stakeholders and it was warmly received. “When the idea was presented to our families, everyone was excited about it. We started strong and were able to stay at the top of the leaderboard for the 6 weeks of competition,” she added.
They chose Food4Kids Muskoka as the charity of their choice.
Roberts explained that the good deeds are still being tallied up and the winning team will be announced during Hockey Night in Canada on March 16th.
“One of the first good deeds our team did together was we went to Food4kids Muskoka on a packing day and helped to pack the food bags that would be distributed to children in our area the following day. This was a great experience as we learned so much about this new program and it helped our teammates to see exactly who and what we would be supporting should we win the big monetary prize,” noted Roberts.
Other good deeds embarked on by the team included going to Rogers Cove and building a snowman village for the residents to enjoy from their windows. They were also at the Table Soup Kitchen Foundation food bank volunteering on different occasions.
The team also participated in the Coldest Night of the Year walk, a fundraiser for the Table, and raised $600 for the Table and its work.
“We held a team-wide stuffed animal drive and then took the bags of stuffies to the Aspden Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, and we also hosted a community-wide book drive that saw over 1700 books donated that have gone to support children’s programs in the Northern community of Iroquois falls,” added Roberts.
Both the team individually as well as the whole community were involved and donated many bags of clothing and household items to food banks, thrift stores and the Re-store, explained Roberts. “We made online donations to causes that we support, we spread kindness in the community by gifting random or special people treats, cards, food or flowers, we picked up trash, we recycled and did other good deeds for the environment, we left online reviews, baked treats for our friends and coworkers, and did many smaller things like holding the door for people, offering to do chores that weren’t normally done, and taking back lost shopping carts found in parking lots.”
You can view their Facebook Page and their more than 2500 good deeds posted!!
“As team manager, this has truly been one of the most special experiences that I have been a part of. To watch our teammates, their families and our whole community rallying with us and doing so many (over 2500 documented!!) good deeds that benefit others was SO heartwarming. I feel that it will have a lifelong impact on every one of our families, and I am very proud of our whole team. I definitely feel that the experience has been a big win, regardless of the outcome of the contest,” added Roberts. “The crew from Food4kids was hustling right with us the whole time, and their impact on the community year-long is so enormous. We are so grateful that we chose them, have made friendships, and have learned more about their incredible charity that we will hopefully continue to support.”
“We are anxiously awaiting the news on the 16th, according to Kristie Shaver with Food4kids
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