And the grand total is…
THIRTY THOUSAND DOLLARS
It’s a record breaking year for Hockey for Grace in support of Emily's House Children's Hospice and we are just blown away by the support, generosity and love we are feeling 
. We have so many people to thank; the players, the volunteers, our coordinators, donors, sponsors, party goers, and anyone who purchased a Grace Sweet B's cookie, Market Brewing Hockey for Grace beer, swag or came out to a Market Brewing Bingo night. The weekend was truly incredible. From the games, to the Kidz Zone and of course the Charity Social and so many special moments in between. None of this would be possible without the teams that come out each and every year. This year we had all 12 returning teams back and they left it all on the ice playing hard. A big congratulations to this years winners; Team Alyeska winners of the Nurse Stephanie Rec Division Trophy, Team Gracie Belle winners of the Nurse Dio Trophy in the Co-Ed Division and Team Matthew winners of the Doctor Walsh Trophy in the Competitive Division.
. We have so many people to thank; the players, the volunteers, our coordinators, donors, sponsors, party goers, and anyone who purchased a Grace Sweet B's cookie, Market Brewing Hockey for Grace beer, swag or came out to a Market Brewing Bingo night. The weekend was truly incredible. From the games, to the Kidz Zone and of course the Charity Social and so many special moments in between. None of this would be possible without the teams that come out each and every year. This year we had all 12 returning teams back and they left it all on the ice playing hard. A big congratulations to this years winners; Team Alyeska winners of the Nurse Stephanie Rec Division Trophy, Team Gracie Belle winners of the Nurse Dio Trophy in the Co-Ed Division and Team Matthew winners of the Doctor Walsh Trophy in the Competitive Division. 
And speaking of the hockey teams you may have seen the names of the winning teams and thought hmm who's names are those? We're glad you asked! This years hockey teams were all named in honour of special kids that made a big impact but were lost too soon. Some we have met on our journey, some called 
Emily’s House home but all have touched our lives. We were honoured to have Ollie’s dad Stuart attend. Years ago he gave us an Odd Sock Ollie puck that we have used in one of the championship games. It was so special to have him at this year’s event and be able to drop the puck in the Team Ollie vs Team Ava game.
Emily’s House home but all have touched our lives. We were honoured to have Ollie’s dad Stuart attend. Years ago he gave us an Odd Sock Ollie puck that we have used in one of the championship games. It was so special to have him at this year’s event and be able to drop the puck in the Team Ollie vs Team Ava game.
Leading up to Hockey for Grace we shared their stories with you and we asked each team to fundraise in their honour and man did our teams come through and celebrate these kids. Over $8,000 of our total was raised through the team fundraising pages! While we are blown away by this number what makes us really happy is the hundreds of visits these pages received, the people that checked out the posters at our event, and asked about these incredible kids. Thank you to every team that shared these pages, to every person that made a donation. We are beyond grateful for the way we are able to celebrate Grace every year and this year we were beyond happy to share that with 11 other families.
One of the most special moments of the weekend for Chris and I was the inaugural kids game. It was something we’ve been dreaming about for a couple of years and seeing it all come together was magical. Add to it that Dr Walsh, who was the on call OB who delivered Grace and then walked alongside us during my pregnancy with Carter and delivered him as well, wanted to sponsor the Kids Jersey just made our hearts so full. Having Rauni, the CEO of Emily’s House, there for the inaugural puck drop well that was the bow that tied it all together.
Thank you to each family who brought out a player, it honestly meant the world to us. Having 40 skaters out on the ice, to look to the boards and up to the windows and see them lined with families, it took my breath away. To be honest it’s often hard to be in situations and events that involve families, my heart aches that we’re missing one and my mind starts wondering and wondering. But Saturday I could feel her. Grace was there with us all. Smiling down, cheering on her brother and was apart of this special moment. To each and every one of you who took part, thank you for making this dream become a reality, thank you for being part of such a beautiful and touching memory that we will never forget.
The Hockey for Grace Kidz Zone Presented by Miss Jennie's Performing Arts Studio was also a HUGE success. We had so many families and kids come and enjoy the photo wall, colouring contest, games from Magical Events, Bingo and a surprise visit from Ollie the Scoring Goals for the Community mascot. Many also enjoyed our first ever Hockey for Grace BBQ topped off with Grace cookies from Sweet B's Catering and Confectionery. Thank you to all our volunteers who made it possible!
This truly is a full community support, we couldn't do it on our own or without a lot of really great local businesses helping out out. This year, on top of our weekend event, we had some incredible events in support of us leading up.
We were able to add over $6,000 to this years total thanks to our friends at Market Brewing Company who not only had us a their February Charity Bingo recipient but also donated .25 cents from every can of Hockey for Grace beer sold. We can’t begin to say enough thank you’s 
to Bill, Piers and the Market team for all they have done to support us. When they say small businesses are the cornerstone of our communities, Market Brewing Co. exemplifies this. They have gone above and beyond to create a community that brings together business, people and charity. As the only brewery in Canada to have a bingo license every month they support a Charity who receives a portion of the money, the other amount is given away as winnings to the players, while Market sees none of the proceeds. Last year they helped raise over $40,000 for local charities. If that doesn’t show a passion for their community I don’t know what does. We completely love what Piers and Bill have built with Market Brewing, great beer and seltzers absolutely, but it’s so much more than that. It’s a community hub, a place for people to meet, to interact, to take part, to feel like they belong. You’ll see countless Charity events take part there on top of their Bingo nights, along with a ton of incredible collaborations with other businesses like paint nights, live music, yoga, a cornhole league and so much more. Market Brewing Co. makes our community better and we are so incredibly thankful and grateful for all of their support since our inaugural tournament back in 2017. They are always there, ready to support and make our crazy ideas come true, which is exactly how the Hockey for Grace beer came to be. I don’t think many breweries would think yeah let’s do a pink can with the story of a baby that passed away on it and sell it, not exactly a marketable product. But they said YES and man have they come through year after year topping it with their best can yet this season. The guys will never understand how much it means to us to walk into the brewery and see the fridge full of a pink can with Grace’s picture, her story and her little feet staring back at us. To know so many people have said her name, read her story and got to know our little girl is such a gift. Another epic adventure for the books, we are beyond grateful for the way they help us celebrate Grace and help her legacy live on. 
And then there were the Grace cookies from Sweet B's. 1651 cookies were sold! That's 92lbs of butter, 23 batches in the giant mixer, 31 rounds in the over, 550 minutes of bake time and a whole lot of people that love Grace. We can’t even wrap our heads around this number. Thank you to each and every one of you who bought a cookie, or 3 or 4 or a whole jar! Family, friends, strangers. Your support means so much (although I’m sure this isn’t the worst way to help raise money, eating delicious cookies) To the Sweet B’s gang who I’m sure never want to see another pink cookie. Thank you for putting lots of love into each cookie, for baking yet another batch and for days upon days of pink hands. And to Sweet B's owner Bonnie. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU 💕and then THANK YOU some more. As a small business owner the hours are long, the stress levels can be high, and you never know what each day will bring so for you to commit to us selling as many cookies as we could is so much more then a donation. It’s the man-hours that went into it, the counter space it took up, it’s the time and energy you put in to make 1651 cookies possible. To say we appreciate it is such an understatement. From showing up to Grace’s birthday party, to giving her the best cuddles. Showing up when it was hard, checking in always, and the reminders that you will always remember her. To the “initial sign me” at just the initial concept of Hockey for Grace to showing up each and every year you are and always will be part of our Hockey for Grace family and ours. 💕
And then there was the surprise donation from the Newmaket Ray's Old Timers Hockey Team. Every year, the Rays host a hockey tournament in Newmarket over Easter weekend and donate a portion of the proceeds raised to worthy causes in the community. We were honoured that they chose Hockey for Grace this year. We are so thankful for their support and it was wonderful having Tournament co-chairs Bob Wallen and Larry Bone stop by the tournament on Sunday to present the $1,000 cheque. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU
As you can see this event would not be possible without our community. Each and every one of you. When we started our goal was to raise money for Emily's House and create a legacy for Grace. We’ve done that, but along the way and through the years we have gotten so much more out of this experience. It’s been a busy few months leading up to this years event, but it is all worth it when we show up to see so many people supporting us, remembering Grace and helping make sure Emily’s House will be able to support families for years to come.
Thank you and see you in 2025!
and see you in 2025!