Indigenous Hockey Equipment Drive

Indigenous Hockey Equipment Drive

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, 200 sets of goalie pads
and over 700 sticks were accumulated and donated in the fall of 2021 to 40 Indigenous
communities in Ontario.

As part of the 1,000, a special delivery of 350 bags were delivered to Thunder Bay for
distribution to Indigenous youth in that area and to northern communities never serviced
by this hockey distribution.
Over the past few years, we have had the support of the Toronto Maple Leafs and the
Ottawa Senators Foundation.

We credit numerous businesses and organizations, such as our partners at AMJ
Campbell, Bristol Truck Rental Richmond Hill and Canada Mortgage and Housing
Corporation (CMHC), Indigenous Sport & Wellness Ontario, Bluebird Self Storage,
Rogers Sports & Media and many hockey associations & hockey families that were on
board over the past 7 years.

Our organization, Indigenous Hockey Equipment Drive (formerly known as First Nations
Hockey Equipment Drive) has teamed up with a local sports charity from Oshawa,
Ontario: Their Opportunity, which has assisted with planning, logistics, social media,
and the online presence for the cash donations to buy new helmets and support any
transportation costs.

Our goal in 2022 is to accumulate donations of 1,000 bags which will be distributed to
40 Indigenous communities in Ontario in the fall of 2022.