EMPOWERING YOUTH THROUGH SPORT

In the first year of the hockey equipment accumulation, Graham McWaters (Campaign Founder) reached out to his son’s Richmond Hill team for equipment donations who helped raise 8 bags of equipment and numerous hockey sticks. The first delivery of equipment was sent to Beausoleil First Nation on Christian Island. ​ ​Inspired by the first hockey drive in 2015 there have been numerous drives with each growing larger than the last to the point where over 1,000 bags and over 1,000 sticks are accumulated and donated in the fall to 30 Indigenous communities in Ontario and some remote areas of Canada. As of December 2025, a total of 6,000 bags of gently used & new gear and approximately 10,000 sticks have been donated to 72 different Indigenous communities. For the first time since inception, on November 6, 2023, we delivered 100 bags and 200 sticks to an Indigenous community in Behchoko, Northwest Territories…one hour northwest of Yellowknife. The 17 skids of equipment travelled over 4,500 KMs to reach its destination by train and truck. In February of 2025, we delivered 32 skids of hockey gear to Winnipeg bound for six Northern Manitoba Indigenous communities…Thanks to Grand Chief Michael Birch and retired NHL Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe winner, Reggie Leach, for introducing these communities to us. Thank you to CN for assisting with both of these long-distance deliveries!! We collect gently used and new hockey equipment through hockey equipment drives normally co-hosted with hockey associations and high schools. We need all hockey equipment, including sticks, bags and pucks.