As the holiday season begins, Carleton athletes are making an effort to give back to their community.
The Ravens men’s hockey team, fresh off their Colonel By Classic win against the University of Ottawa (U of O), is running a fundraiser for the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) called “Saves 4 Toys.” The team’s goalies are donating one dollar per save made in the final four games before the winter break.
This is the fundraiser’s second year.
With three goalies participating—Francois Brassard, Justin Nichols, Troy Martyniuk, and goalie coach Matthew Jenkins—it totals up to four dollars for each save made by the team.
In addition, the team will also be accepting donations from the greater community.
The funds raised by the campaign will go towards buying toys for the children at CHEO this holiday season.
“We used to play junior, where we visited hospitals in the Christmas time. It came from that,” starting goaltender Francois Brassard said, after his shutout performance against the U of O on Nov. 23.
While the programs in junior—which Brassard played in Quebec—were organized for the team, this program was a self-led initiative with no goal in mind other than to give back, he said.
“It’s a difficult time of year for the kids and families in [the] hospital. We wanted to make it a little easier for them,” Brassard added.
Last year, Brassard’s initiative helped those families in need with all three goalies donating $1,100 to charity and receiving an additional $1,400 from outside donations.
This year, Brassard hopes the program reaches even more people and is running an extensive social media campaign through his Instagram and Twitter pages.
Brassards’ pockets will be lighter after last weekend where he only let in one goal in 61 shots after two games against the U of O and Université Québec à Trois Rivières. Through two games, they have raised $116 and $124 dollars for CHEO.
The team takes on the Queen’s University Gaels on the road and the UOIT Ridgebacks on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1, respectively. Helping those in need will serve as extra motivation for Brassard as he is set to start in goal.
“I think, really, we’re most concerned about getting guys to buy into our system and winning . . . But [the charity], knowing every save you make counts. That will be in the back of our mind for sure in the game,” Brassard said.
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