Editorial, Insight

The strong partnership between Hockey Gives Blood and the WHL

Written by Adam Kierszenblat on

 

The bond between the WHL and Hockey Gives Blood goes back to the organization’s founding in 2018.

On their website, Hockey Gives Blood describes the organization as “a non-profit society that has partnered with the Canadian Blood Services in an effort to engage and educate the hockey community about the importance of blood and stem cell donation.”

With the help of Canadian Blood Services, Hockey Gives Blood has been able to get athletes from across Canada to help raise awareness and become ambassadors for this great cause.

Building the Relationship:

On April 6th, 2018, the Humboldt Broncos team bus was involved in an accident. 16 players and staff died, and 12 more were injured. It was an event that shook not only Canada but the hockey world. When CEO Stu Middleton heard about the crash, he was determined to help any way he could.

“I stopped at Chris Murray’s house who is the Assistant Coach of the Kamloops Blazers and asked him to put me in touch with Don Moores (President of the Kamloops Blazers). During our first call, I explained what we were going to do, and what our vision was. Don was supportive of it right away. From there, we were able to announce the Kamloops Blazers as our first supporting team, which allowed us to navigate through the rest of the league. Over time, we were able to prove we are an easy non-profit to work with and willing to put in the work.”

Since the initial phone call, Hockey Gives Blood has partnered with over half of the teams in the WHL and across the CHL. From BC to Prince Edward Island, Hockey Gives Blood has a strong relationship with junior hockey.

Getting WHL Players Involved:

A big part of the program involves getting players to become ambassadors for the program. The ambassador role is designed so players can show how easy it is to become blood and stem cell donors. Player ambassadors from the WHL include Alex Kannok-Leipert, Dylan Garand, Zack Stringer Sebastian Cossa, Trent Miner, and Logan Stankoven. There are also some former WHL stars such as Calen Addison, Jet Woo, and Carson Focht who have become player ambassadors. When Middleton was asked about the role WHL players play in creating awareness for the program, he talked about how their commitment to the cause plays a vital role.

“The players are role models in their communities. Along with the teams, they are influencers. When these players speak and promote things that are important to them, people listen. We are hoping that this helps increase blood and stem cell donations and online registration for organ donation. We hope people will follow their lead. That is where the teams and players play an important role. We hope that the benefit of providing goodwill in the community benefits the players and teams but in turn, helps Canadian Blood Services across Canada.”

The Dayna Brons Honorary Award:

Dayna Brons lost her life in the Humboldt Broncos bus crash. She was the athletic therapist for the Broncos. She was also worked with Neal Demmans as the athletic therapist for the Saskatchewan SWAT lacrosse team. Although Dayna lived a busy life she still found time to be a generous blood donor. She was able to survive for five days after the crash thanks to the help of blood donors in the community. After she passed, Hockey Gives Blood created an award in her honor.

Middleton came up with the award after speaking at the Humboldt Broncos Memorial Golf Tournament a year after the crash. It was there that he met Carol Brons, the mother of Dayna Brons. Brons shared the story behind her daughter’s commitment to blood donation.

“She shared with me that Dayna was also a blood donor. After the crash, it was those blood donors that gave Dayna a fighting chance and gave the family hope. Dayna was selfless, she did not tout that she was a blood donor. She just went about her business. She was not looking for accolades, much like our player ambassadors. They don’t do it for the spotlight, they do it because it is the right thing to do. They know they have a platform to help and that was very symbolic of who Dayna was. We thought it was very fitting that we recognize a player within our program as the Dayna Brons Honorary Award recipient.”

Recognition:

For a player to be recognized with the award, Hockey Gives Blood has come up with these guidelines:

“The Dayna Brons Honorary Award recognizes an individual from Canada’s hockey community who exhibits outstanding dedication towards patients who rely on blood and stem cell products in Canada. This person must be deemed to have made a significantly positive impact regarding the awareness and necessity of Canada’s Lifeline. The ideal candidate would also be one who displays some or all the attributes Dayna was known for, such as humility, dedication, sacrifice, work ethic, and kindness”.

How Can You Help:

Hockey Gives Blood works with Canadian Blood Services to promote blood and stem cell donations across Canada. Blood donors are needed every day. It can take up to 50 donors to help someone who has been involved in a serious car accident. To check your eligibility, Canadian Blood Services has set up an easy checklist that can be found here. You can book an appointment here, and help.

The work Hockey Gives Blood is doing a great job promoting blood and stem cell donation. Their relationship with the WHL as well as junior hockey organizations across Canada helps bring awareness to this important initiative. You can follow them on Twitter at @hkygivesblood or check out their website https://hockeygivesblood.ca/ for more information about how you can help save a life.