GIVE NUNAVUT KIDS A T.O. EXPERIENCE OF A LIFETIME

Do you remember your first trip to Toronto? The excitement of seeing the CN Tower for the first time, going to the Toronto Islands, a museum or concert?  Can you imagine what that would be like for a group of kids from one of Canada’s most remote arctic communities? 

This spring, 16 kids from Pond Inlet, (also called ‘Mittimatalik’ in Inuktitut) Nunavut will be traveling more than 3,200 kilometers to see Toronto for the first time. And we’d like your help to give them memories that will last a lifetime!


 
We’ve Already Overcome the Biggest Barrier

The Mimico Canadiens Major Peewee Hockey Team has been awarded a significant grant from Experiences Canada , to fund a unique cultural exchange with its “Twin” Peewee hockey team in Pond Inlet, Nunavut. The grant, which is funded in part by the Government of Canada, helped us overcome one of the biggest barriers of traveling to and from the north – the cost of transportation. The grant is bringing our teams (boys and girls ages 12-13) together by covering the expense of round trip flights to Toronto and Pond Inlet for each team and four adult chaperones. But that’s where our funding ends and where we need your help.


Making it a Trip to Remember

This amazing cultural exchange is being organized by volunteer parents and coaches. As part of the exchange, each player will be “twined” with a hockey family to experience life in their respective communities. Host families will provide all amenities for each youth matched with the players in our homes. Each player is also working hard to fundraise on their own through community bottle drives, shot challenges and other local initiatives. 

We know that the kids from Pond Inlet have lots they want to see and do in Toronto and we’re working hard to make their wish list come to life. A visit to the top of the CN Tower is high on the list.  So is swimming… since there are no public swimming pools in Pond Inlet.  And since the kids live well above the tree line, we’d also like to take them on nature hikes outside the city where they can feel what it’s like to be surrounded by trees for the first time.


What You Can Do to Help

We (the parents and coaches of the Mimico Canadiens Major Peewee Hockey Team) would be grateful for your help. We are trying to cover the cost of transportation and accessing cultural opportunities and attractions in Toronto and the GTA to make this an unforgettable trip for the kids from Pond Inlet.

Our goal is to raise $4,500 through Go Fund Me. Every gift will be welcomed and greatly appreciated.

We feel very lucky to be able to be part of such an incredible reciprocal exchange. Creating new friendships in remote parts of our vast and remarkable country is not easy. Through the love of hockey as a the common link, we believe this experience will allow our kids to gain a better understanding of each other’s diverse communities that will enrich their lives forever.

Please help us make that happen.