U11 B Huskies collecting hockey equipment for Canadian charity

By Spencer Seymour

The U11 B New Hamburg Huskies team is doing some important work off the ice to support a Canadian organization helping other kids play the game.

On Jan. 17, from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Wilmot Recreation Complex, the team will be collecting gently used hockey equipment, which will then be donated to The Indigenous Equipment Drive, an organization that sends hockey equipment to Indigenous kids across Canada who may not otherwise have a chance to play the game.

Those who cannot come in person but would like to donate can contact head coach Matthew Robinson by emailing matt_robinson72@hotmail.com to arrange pick-up.

Robinson detailed the motivation behind the team’s equipment drive.

“Each year when I coach, we try to find a way to give back to the community,” Robinson told the Gazette. “This year, we came across an organization that’s been around for about 10 years that collects used hockey equipment and they ship it to underserved Indigenous communities across Canada. Areas where they either don’t have access to equipment or potentially not financially able to get good equipment. They’re able to support them so those kids and communities can play.”

Graham McWaters, program director and founder of The Indigenous Equipment Drive, described the impact the organization has made.

“We have been told by many recipient Indigenous communities that the suicide rate has diminished since they started receiving hockey equipment from us,” McWaters said. “We are changing lives in the communities. Hockey and other sports offer a chance to be active and part of a team and offers a healthy wellbeing that can assist with mental health.

“Since inception over 11 years ago, we have delivered 6,000 bags of gently used gear, 10,000 sticks and hundreds of sets of goalie equipment to 73 Canadian Indigenous communities. We couldn’t do this without the help of numerous volunteers, all the hockey families, hockey associations and their teams.”

This work was in response to the Truth and Reconciliation Report, and in particular, recommendation number 89, which stated, “We call upon the federal government to amend the Physical Activity and Sport Act to support reconciliation by ensuring that policies to promote physical activity as a fundamental element of health and wellbeing, reduce barriers to sports participation, increase the pursuit of excellence in sport and build capacity in the Canadian sport system are inclusive of Aboriginal peoples.”

Robinson further explained the value in his players understanding the importance of lifting up others who may not be as fortunate as they are to play hockey.

“We wanted to do something hockey related,” Robinson said. “I think, with the group we coach of 10- and 11-year-olds, it’s easy to take for granted that if you outgrow some equipment or a stick breaks, you’ll be able to replace it in relatively short order and not miss a beat. So, I think it’s an important opportunity for the kids on the team to realize that they’re pretty lucky to play the game and not have to worry about some of these things. To be able to directly involve them in something connected to the game they love, I thought, would be very impactful for them.”