Each week, in arenas across Canada, inspiration comes in the form of HEROS and SuperHEROS players working past their day-to-day barriers with their teammates and mentors when they lace up their skates – however, last month inspiration took a different form.
On November 16th, HEROS hosted the inaugural, Hockey in the Roundhouse at the Steam Whistle Roundhouse in downtown Toronto. The event welcomed some of Toronto’s best and brightest professionals, alongside HEROS volunteers, donors, and partners, all in the hopes of building something bigger than hockey.
Made possible by incredible sponsors, DLA Piper, New Haven Mortgage Corporation, Redtail Vineyards, and Steam Whistle Brewing, Hockey in the Roundhouse gave guests the opportunity to enjoy some incredible company and listen to powerful storytelling from award winning broadcasters Harnarayan Singh, Elliotte Friedman, and Rob Kerr, while also hearing first-hand accounts of the impact their support will have on HEROS players.
One of these accounts came from Juma, a HEROS alumni and now volunteer.
“The life skills that I learned through HEROS I still use to this day, and the four HEROS behaviours are now engrained in my everyday life”, explained Juma, as he took guests through his journey from a refugee camp in Tanzania, all the way to Edmonton, where he was first introduced to HEROS.
Juma’s story captivated the room, bringing more than a few guests to tears as he shared how his journey with HEROS has shaped him into the strong, caring, and hard-working young man he is today. You can read more about Juma’s story here.
Overall, the night was an extraordinary success and provided an incredible opportunity for many new friends in the HEROS community to share a meal, have a laugh, and make a lasting impact on the young people in their community who need it most.
“At HEROS, we don’t do things an inch deep and a mile wide. We want to make sure each and every one of our players has every possible chance to find success throughout their lives”, said HEROS President and Founder, Norm Flynn. “That’s why your support is so important. You’re not just buying skates and giving kids ice-time, you’re giving them a chance to become stronger individuals and leaders in their communities.”
HEROS is so grateful to experience such wonderful generosity from our friends and community members. Thanks to them, hundreds of young people will experience the joy of being part of a team, not only for this season, but for years to come!
If you weren’t able to support Hockey in the Roundhouse, but still want to make a meaningful contribution to the development of HEROS and SuperHEROS players this season, please consider making a donation today by clicking here!
For a full gallery of pictures from the event, click here.