Broncos thank supporters of the wildly successful fundraiser

An online campaign that started with a goal of just $5,000 in the hours following the Humboldt Broncos bus tragedy hit $11.4-million by Sunday morning.

Support has come from more than 128,000 people around the world and that’s not lost on the grieving team.

In a statement, the Broncos said “as we try to come to grips with our incredible loss, we have been overwhelmed by the donations we have received across Saskatchewan, Canada, and from people around the world through GoFundMe.”

It went on to say “the support and solidarity has truly been awe-inspiring.”

The campaign was started by Sylvie Kellington after talking to a friend about how they could help.

She told Bolt FM they started with a goal of a few thousand dollars because they didn’t want to seem greedy.

“Our original goal was just to pay for parking for families at RUH (Royal University Hospital) and maybe pay for meals,” she said.

Now, with the campaign growing so quickly, GoFundMe and the Broncos have taken the reins.

According to the team, advisors are helping to figure out how to get funds out to families as quickly as possible.

The team is getting some legal help as well.

“MLT Aikins LLP law firm has graciously agreed to support us pro bono as we bring together the right team of professionals to help us work through the steps of distributing these funds,” they said in a statement.

It finished with “thank you for your generosity and support. Together, we are #HumboldtStrong.”