Vancouver peewee hockey team finalists for ‘Good Deeds Cup’
Posted January 30, 2019 6:20 am.
Last Updated January 30, 2019 8:08 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – A Vancouver minor hockey team that went viral in early January caught a little more attention last weekend, as the Peewee Vancouver Spirit are finalists for the Chevrolet Good Deeds Cup, a countrywide initiative that celebrates community involvement for youth hockey.
The Spirit and their head coach Stephen Gillis adopted a less fortunate family through the YMCA and raised money to give that family a better Christmas, including a turkey and presents, which they dropped off at the home themselves.
Gillis says through a variety of fundraisers, the team raised about $1,400 in three days — more than enough to deliver on what they had promised.
“We made and sold our own pizza dough, stood outside at SkyTrain stops, going door to door.” Gillis said.
The Spirit are now into the top 10 with nine other teams from around the country.
Voting is open until Feb. 9, 2019 to get the team into the top 3.
The winning team will get $100,000 for charity, which the club has said they would give to the Kidney Foundation of BC. The team has already donated $2,000 so far.
As for their head coach, Gillis learned of his disease last summer and is still in search of a kidney donor. He is expecting to start dialysis treatment this week, and still requires more surgery before any transplant takes place.
The team’s video asking for a donor to help their coach went up on Twitter on Jan. 3.
Gillis has been floored by the support, and has expressed his gratitude to the players for their efforts put towards his cause.
“What’s really interesting is how it’s raised so much awareness, and how it got so many people to start getting tested, to look into and sign up for organ donation. I don’t have a match yet, but there are at least ten people in various stages of treatment that are a possible match.”
No matter what happens, the head coach — who still coaches and plays hockey on the ice himself — is proud of everything that’s come out of the experience, but did get emotional when he spoke with NEWS 1130 about his own plight.
“I’m not a victim. I just work extremely hard to be a leader for the kids. To be a leader, you need to set the tone. For me to lead by example is to walk into (the hospital) and get the (dialysis) line put in. It’s only going to make me better. I’m going to get through this.”
