September 2008
It is with great pleasure that we extend to you, this invitation to participate in Calgary's inaugural
"Hockey for the Homeless" fundraising hockey tournament. We are very excited about building on
the success and momentum of previous events held in Montreal and Toronto and look forward to
raising more than $80,000 in support of programs to help Calgary’s homeless reintegrate
mainstream society.
“Hockey for the Homeless/Hockey pour les Sans-abri” began in 1996 when a group of Toronto
businessmen decided to turn an annual industry hockey tournament into a charitable event aimed
at helping the homeless in the City of Toronto. Since then, the volunteer-driven charitable
organization has raised over $1.5M in support for over 10,000 homeless men, women and
children. On a single day last year, “Hockey for the Homeless/Hockey pour les sans-abri” raised
over $260,000 in support of homeless men, women and children in Montréal and Toronto.
The Calgary Organizing Committee is confident that, with the passionate support of the Calgary
business and hockey communities, the annual Calgary event will add significantly to this
impressive total. The plight of the homeless is a growing concern and, as such, so is the need for
ongoing prevention and support. It is extremely important for us to get the most mileage out of
every dollar that we receive, which is why Hockey for the Homeless tournaments are run by
volunteers and the organization has hired but one employee since its inception in 1996. Our goal
for the 2008 Calgary Tournament is to raise $80,000, with all proceeds going directly towards
helping the City of Calgary's many homeless.
Details of the inaugural Calgary event are as follows:
