At a press conference this morning, the Kingston Frontenacs announced a record fundraising campaign for the team from the net proceeds of the auction of the game worn and game issued jerseys in honour of The Tragically Hip. The online auction of the 23 player worn or prepared jerseys and the raffle of an additional jersey at the game resulted in $73,383.98 being raised for the Gord Downie Fund for Brain Cancer Research through Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto.“The grace and generosity by our fans is unbelievable and humbling at the same time,” said Justin Chenier, Executive Director of Business Operations for the Kingston Frontenacs. “When we unveiled the jersey design and announced this initiative in honour of The Tragically Hip and to support Gord Downie’s fund, we were most often asked how much we thought this auction could raise. Never in our wildest dreams did we think we’d be able to present a cheque to Dr. James Perry and the group at Sunnybrook Hospital for over $73,000!”
Donations to the Gord Downie Fund for Brain Cancer Research will give Sunnybrook the tools to help beat brain cancers that are currently unbeatable. Right now they are investigating new drugs, surgical techniques and genetic therapies. They are using ultrasound to help drugs reach tumours that couldn’t be reached before. Financial support, such as the funds raised through initiatives including the auction of Kingston Frontenacs jersey honouring The Tragically Hip, will help them conduct groundbreaking research that benefits patients not only at Sunnybrook, but across Canada and around the world.
Winning bidders came from across Canada, including British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, and Nova Scotia, as well as one winning bidder from Hong Kong. The highest winning jersey bid was $6,290 for the #16 Josh Supryka jersey. The jersey worn by #7 Nathan Billitier, who scored the game winning, and only, goal fetched $2,447 while the jersey worn by goaltender #60 Jeremy Helvig who recorded the shutout for Kingston brought in $5,120.
