Stride with us to champion women and girls in sport and recreation! By amplifying the voices of past, present and future game changers in our communities, we can inspire others and make an impact! Learn more about our GAME CHANGERS campaign.
CARHA Hockey is pleased to announce the winners of the first GAME CHANGERS campaign. Fierce Female Hockey, Golden Minor Hockey, and Whitecourt Minor Hockey have each been awarded $1,000 in support of their programming for female-focused initiatives.
“The positive response and conversations we’ve had as a result of the Game Changers campaign prove a shift is occurring,” says Lori Lopez, Executive Director, CARHA Hockey. “Representation matters, and we must commit to lifting up organizations and initiatives, like those which participated in the campaign, to remove old barriers and build welcoming sports environments. Females remain under-represented in participation and leadership positions, and it’s time to change that!”
Game Changers champions women and girls in sport and recreation by supporting individuals and programs making strides towards advancing gender equity through personal or program development. By amplifying the voices of past, present and future game changers in our communities we can inspire others. The nationwide initiative received submissions from coast to coast detailing how the funding can impact current or future endeavours. Winners were randomly drawn from all entries.
“The goal of Fierce Female Hockey is reinvesting any profits into developing more accessible and inclusive programming,” says Amy Doerksen, creator of FFH. “The funding from CARHA Hockey is amazing and will help us expand our reach and grow our impact! We are so thankful for support like this!”
“This $1000 will kick start our first season with a bang! Our plans for the first season are many things, we are shooting for the stars,” says Mandy Horsman, Coach of the Golden Rockets, Golden Minor Hockey. “This money will be used for getting new jerseys for the girl’s team. We would like to bring in a mentor, a female hockey player to share her experiences with the players and coaches. These are some ideas we hope to fulfil, that will make an impact on our new and returning girls. We are hockey players too!”
“Receiving this money to help grow Female Hockey in our area is exactly what we need!” says Reilly Hogberg, Female Director, Whitecourt Minor Hockey. “Momentum is in full swing and this will only help continue that. I cannot wait to encourage more girls to lace up and get out there!”
Game Changers is part of CARHA Hockey’s dedicated community outreach initiative in support of sport and community recreation programs. The Next Stride launched in the summer of 2021 and has expanded as a dedicated platform to get one stride closer to achieving our goals together.
The active portion of the Game Changers campaign is complete with announcing the inaugural winners. Still, CARHA Hockey will continue to amplify the work of individuals and programs in our communities and participate in conversations to elevate the participation of girls and women in sport and recreation.
Awardees
Fierce Female Hockey (Manitoba): Fierce Female Hockey (FFH) brings out the fierce in every female by creating safe and engaging hockey development experiences for grassroots players. FFH is a social enterprise offering 100% female focused player development with all female instruction. Females need to see themselves reflected in the sport and FFH shows them just what’s possible! View submission.
Golden Minor Hockey (British Columbia): The idea of girl’s hockey in Golden began in the change room of our ladies’ team. With a lot of brainstorming and a handful of gals we were ready to make this happen. Our first move was to approach our board and get our fearless leader Jessica Chagnon as our local Female Development rep for Golden Minor Hockey. Once that happened, we have been putting our ideas into motion. Our Vision with girl’s hockey is to give the opportunity to learn and play the game in our community alongside their female peers. View submission.
Whitecourt Minor Hockey (Alberta): Whitecourt Minor Hockey is an all-inclusive program that focuses on providing and delivering opportunities for all community members to participate in a quality hockey program that promotes community values and develops life skills in an enjoyable, safe and positive environment. Our focus over the past few years, which came to fruition this past season, is to have monthly sessions that focus on engaging females in our region of all ages, provide them with an opportunity to enjoy a safe, fun program where they can show up, learn and continue to participate in hockey and to do it at minimal or no cost to the players. View submission.