Thousands of Greater Victorians felt connected with The Tragically Hip by attending concerts at the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre over the years.
The arenaB次元官网网址檚 anchor tenant, the WHLB次元官网网址檚 Victoria Royals, are strengthening that connection further with a fundraising venture that got underway at last FridayB次元官网网址檚 game against the Seattle Thunderbirds and runs for the next few weeks.
Mike Downie, brother of late Hip lead singer Gord Downie and co-founder with him of the Gord Downie/Chanie Wenjack Fund, was in town that day to help promote the fundraiser.
B次元官网网址淚 think thereB次元官网网址檚 a huge opportunity in the country right now for non-Indigenous Canadians to become more aware of Indigenous lives, to try and move the needle and create a more inclusive country,B次元官网网址� he said.
The fund began life a year ago and emerged from Gord DownieB次元官网网址檚 The Secret Path project, which included an album, graphic novel and animated film, all about the escape of Aboriginal youth Wenjack from a residential school and his subsequent death before he could get back home. It was a way to bring Indigenous and non-Indigenous people together to B次元官网网址渒eep the conversation goingB次元官网网址� on Indigenous issues, Mike said.
He and other volunteers with the fund were B次元官网网址渂lown awayB次元官网网址� when the Royals reached out to ask if they could help.
B次元官网网址淲ith Gord, the association with hockey is just so obvious. This is a rink that Gord started many tours in; started other tours always in Victoria, so it feels really good to here,B次元官网网址� Downie said.
A custom-designed goalie mask created by Travis Michael is to be auctioned off on . The Royals previously installed a sign board at rink level to help raise awareness, and proceeds from the sale of all of last yearB次元官网网址檚 game-worn jerseys will be donated to the fund.
B次元官网网址淲hen someone like Gord Downie, who we all had a great deal of respect for, says that he cares about something, I think it does wake up a lot of Canadians B次元官网网址�,B次元官网网址� said Royals general manager Cameron Hope. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 just a matter of taking those small steps that we can take to raise awareness and try to inspire people to educate themselves about Indigenous issues in their own communities.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a simple thing B次元官网网址� to just ask people to care. I think Canadians, by and large, care for one another and if you give them a reason to care about an issue and challenge them to educate themselves about it, I think they will.B次元官网网址�
For more information about the fund, visit .
