Great deeds — Lakeshore girls’ hockey team earns $100K for charity

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A Lakeshore girls’ hockey team has scored a national victory — not on the ice, but through acts of kindness that will help fund local cancer research.

The U11 Lakeshore Lightning white team has won the Chevrolet Canada Good Deeds Cup, which challenges minor league hockey teams to give back to their communities by posting their good deeds on social media.

“Everybody is on Cloud Nine,” said team organizer Chantelle Meadows. “The girls couldn’t believe that they actually won the cup.”

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Since January, the all-girls hockey team has completed 1,288 good deeds across Windsor and Essex County. Their acts of kindness ranged from shoveling driveways to supporting local United Way events.

With its victory, the team wins $100,000, which it will donate to Play for a Cure, a hockey organization that funds cancer research through events and tournaments throughout the region.

“I think this has impacted them for the rest of their lives,” Meadows told the Star.

“They’ve learned things that they hadn’t known before, like what a food bank is, how their donations made an impact on the food bank, and how they could make a difference in the future by donating or volunteering.

“It brings tears to my eyes, that they got to learn about this at a young age. It has made such an impression on them.”

The winner was announced Saturday night during the second intermission of the Hockey Night in Canada broadcast. Lakeshore Mayor Tracey Bailey shared her congratulations on social media, celebrating the team’s achievement.

“It was heartwarming to congratulate the Lakeshore Lightning Girls Hockey Association U11 white on their amazing win of the Chevrolet Good Deeds Cup,” Bailey wrote in a social media post.

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“They have shown, throughout the campaign, what it means to build community and to put others first. They have also shown that our community, like a team, can’t succeed as individuals.

“We need leaders… young people like them… to lead by example and encourage us to see the importance of supporting our neighbours and providing for those in need.

“I, and many others in Lakeshore, have been inspired by their work.”

The second- and third-place finishers, U11 Huntsville Sting Black and U11 East York Bulldogs, received $20,000 and $10,000, respectively, for their selected Canadian charities.

The two runner-up teams completed a total of 1,422 deeds over the course of the Good Deeds Cup.

“So proud of the girls and to see their hard work and dedication come to fruition,” Meadows said. “It’s awesome.”

mholmeshill@postmedia.com

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