Murray Wood: Of Easter bunny bells and Juicy Fruit gum
For Murray Wood, Easter brings to mind grandma's practical advice about repurposing, and some of life's little lessons.
Victims of the Humboldt Broncos bus crash and their families will be getting some immediate financial aid thanks to the charity of nearly 10,000 people who attended last week’s Humboldt Broncos Tribute Concert.
The latest outpouring of Saskatchewan support amounted to $428,325, so now cheques of $14,769 will be going directly to the 29 families of those affected by the April 6 bus crash.
“The people of Saskatchewan, as well as the music and hockey community gave us all an evening which we will never forget,” said Country Thunder Music Festival CEO Troy Volhoffer.
“To all of the artists, Scott Ford and the staff at SaskTel Centre, and everyone else who contributed time, money and resources . . . we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”
“Last Friday’s event demonstrated, yet again, that when Saskatchewan people put their mind and hearts into something . . . it will be successful.”
The money raised by the concert is expected to be sent to the families by the end of the week.
The four-hour tribute concert organized by Country Thunder Music Festivals, Sasktel Centre and The Country Thunder Foundation gathered six of the country’s top country music stars together with hockey greats of past and present for the sole purpose of raising money for families of the Humbodlt Broncos.
Dallas Smith, Brett Kissel, Chad Brownlee, Gord Bamford, Jess Moskaluke and the Hunter Brothers headlined the show, playing to a crowd of 9,967 people that included families, player billets and first responders who directly impacted by the crash.
Ticket revenue for the show surpassed $531,000 with production costs kept to just over $100,000.
There was also a notable Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League presence at the concert. 22 Fresh, the Regina-based clothing company that partnered with the SJHL had its newly-created Humboldt Broncos shirt for sale. Proceeds from shirt sales totaling $15,000 will go directly to the SJHL Assistance Fund.
The online auction of NHL players’ jerseys raised $120,000. That amount, coupled with the evening’s 50/50 winnings of $24,884 raised an additional $159,884 on top of ticket revenue.
