Earlier this month, a bus carrying a Canadian junior hockey team collided with a semi, killing 16 and injuring 13 more. At least ten players and two coaches from the Humboldt Broncos team were among those killed. The devastating accident left the town of Humboldt, Saskatchewan, shocked and pained. As CNN reports, “The tragedy was felt across Canada, where hockey is the dominant sport and many young players take long bus rides to tournaments.”
Following the accident, a resident of Humboldt started a GoFundMe campaign in honor of the victims and the families affected by the accident. Initially, the objective was to raise $5,000. The campaign gained so much traction, however, that this goal was quickly surpassed. Within a matter of days, approximately 140 thousand people had donated more than $11.5 million.
According to the BBC, this campaign has “become one of the most successful fundraisers in the website’s history.” The money raised will go to the Humboldt Broncos Memorial Fund Inc., a new non-profit started in honor of the team. They are now working to determine how to “equitably distribute the funds.” As the BBC reports, the organization’s first priority is to “support [their] Bronco families” and their surviving players who “are struggling to heal.”
The GoFundMe campaign closed this Wednesday at midnight, but the organization will still accept additional donations.
Leah Hickman is a 2017 graduate of Hillsdale College’s English program. She freelances for BreakPoint.org and has written pieces for multiple Hillsdale College campus publications as well as for ChristianAnswers.net/Spotlight and the Discover Laura Blog. Read more by Leah at aworldofgrasspeople.blogspot.com.
Photo courtesy: ©Thinkstock/ronniechua
Publication date: April 19, 2018
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