Hockey Helps the Homeless raised over $165,000 at its second annual event. Photo via Hockey Helps the Homeless.
Hockey Helps the Homeless (HHTH) took Kingston by storm Friday, with community heroes and NHL & Olympics alumni lacing up in support of local organizations Lionhearts Inc. and Youth Diversion, according to a release from the organization.
HHTH Kingston surpassed its fundraising goal of $35,000 and will grant more than $165,000 to these two organizations fighting homelessness locally. According to the release, over $82,000 will be donated to each organization, which they can put toward helping some of the most vulnerable citizens in the Kingston community.
“The incredible donation by Hockey Helps the Homeless will make an immediate impact to the Kingston region, allowing Lionhearts to provide additional transitional supportive housing. This program helps vulnerable members of our community go from homelessness into stable housing, supported by an array of services to help them achieve successful outcomes,” said Jeff Babcock, Chief Information Officer of Lionhearts Inc.
For Youth Diversion, this donation was a big milestone, HHTH noted.
“The HHTH event this past Friday capped off a year of celebration for Youth Diversion’s 50th anniversary of helping children and youth overcome challenges. The donation from the HHTH event is the second largest private donation in our agency’s history, and it couldn’t have come at a more critical time for our community,” stated Shawn Quigley, Executive Director of Youth Diversion.
According to the release, funds raised for Youth Diversion will support substance use and addiction services, ensuring children as young as eight years old have access to an addiction counsellor.
Some action shots of this year’s tournament, which took place on Friday, Nov. 15, 2024. Photos via Hockey Helps the Homeless.
Over 170 skaters, 14 celebrity alumni, 25 local sponsors, and 1,000 donors came together to create this amazing impact in the community, HHTH stated.
“We obviously cannot do this without our sponsors or players, who all came together to make a tangible impact on our beneficiary partners and increase our contributions from our inaugural event in 2023,” said Joanne Langlois, co-chair of Hockey Helps the Homeless Kingston.
To stay in-the-know with Hockey Helps the Homeless Kingston, email [email protected] to be added to the organization’s mailing list.