By Kyle Marshall, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
A Burlington youth hockey team is vying to be the winner of the 2024 Chevrolet Good Deeds Cup.
The U13 A Blue Burlington Eagles already sit second on the leaderboard and have goals to blow the total number of votes for last year’s winners out of the water.
The all-female U13A Cornwall Typhoons won the 2023 contest with a record-breaking 343 points, but the Eagles feel that they can easily surpass that total, with support from the whole of Burlington.
The Chevrolet Good Deeds Cup is now in its eighth season, running from Jan. 19 to March 3. Last year, the competition opened to teams above 13 years old and is now eligible for U11–U15 minor hockey teams who are registered with Hockey Canada.
Whichever team comes out on top at the end walks away with a cool six-figure grand prize to donate to a charity of their choice.
“A challenge for eligible U11–U15 minor hockey teams registered with Hockey Canada to take the values they learn on the ice — determination, leadership, teamwork — and use them to support their communities, off the ice,” explained the Good Deeds Cup page on the Chevrolet website.
“No Good Deed goes unnoticed, and they can get your team a step closer to winning $100,000 for charity. To get things rolling, the first 150 teams tagged in or who submit an eligible video showcasing their good deed will earn an exclusive Team Kit, filled with enough goodies for each player.”
Eagles co-manager Ai-Ri Brown and her family are hockey fanatics, with Toronto Maple Leafs games on in their home constantly. She had seen the commercials for the Good Deeds Cup in past years and had always wondered what exactly it entailed and whether her team would even qualify.
After doing more research, she realized it was right up their alley and wanted to find a way to engage the Burlington community as a whole to help them take the whole thing.
“That’s what, at least moms tend to be about, you know, teaching kids good deeds,” Brown said.
Around this time last year, Brown started conversing with Burlington Ward 5 Councillor Paul Sharman on how to get the whole city to be a part of the process, with Sharman helping to get more people and organizations involved.
And then when team activities started up in September and October, the idea was pitched to the parents and to co-manager Sonia Ryan.
It was decided that if the team did in fact win the grand prize, that the money won would go to The Gift of Giving Back, a Burlington charity that was founded by a former Eagles hockey parent.
The local organization works with minor athletics associations and school systems to give back to the less fortunate through food donations and food drives.
Some minor challenges arose, such as finding money for printing banners and flyers and some social media issues.
They were connected with Kimberly Calderbank of Yellow Robot Marketing, who offered to do all the designs and pay for half of the printing needed, with Sharman’s office taking care of the other half of the cost.
It was decided that nothing was going to happen during the holidays though, as it might get lost in the mix during the hustle and bustle of the season.
But once the new year rolled around, and with overwhelming and growing support, it was time to bring the kids into the fold, and the reception was more than the adults could have hoped for.
“They were totally on board and wanting to do this. And so, I think what we had said to them is, you know, we just want you to be in it and in it for the right reasons,” Brown continued. “And we will do the adult work and we’re supporting you, we’re behind you.”
Schoolteacher Melissa Foster, a parent on the team, wanted the team to dig deeper in terms of the true meaning behind the Good Deeds Cup, understanding what it’s about and what the money will go towards if/when they win, which is helping the less fortunate in their community.
They gathered the boys (maybe bribing them with donuts and hot chocolates at the beginning), asked them some guiding questions and really got them to think about the task being proposed to them.
“We had goose bumps,” Foster said. “They exceeded what I thought they would say.”
“Their responses were so deep, insightful. They blew me away. They came up with things that I never thought they would. They talked about addiction, they talked about illness.”
At one point in the discussion, a father showed up to pick up his son, who did not want to leave because he knew they were getting involved in something really important.
“They came up with all sorts of ideas,” she continued. “They talked about racialization, they talked about gender. It was amazing and very empowering for us and for them.”
Leaders on the team were also speaking up and helping to get the ball rolling and once they knew where the money would be going, the wheels started to turn and motivation went through the roof, with both kids and parents.
Seeing a group of 12-year-old boys with the drive that they had “definitely lifted me up and gave me the motivation to want to help Ai-Ri with the goal,” Foster said.
It was also conveyed to the boys in that initial meeting that even if they don’t win the cash prize, that they are still winning, and Burlington is winning, just by doing these good deeds.
They estimate that they have done around 25 good deeds so far and are hosting a big event coming up on Feb. 24.
They are working with an organization called Their Opportunity to organize a hockey equipment drive. Their Opportunity collects hockey equipment to send to families up north who are in need.
“I think we’ve had a great response. So far, they’ve been out shoveling, bringing up garbage bins, doing all kinds of great things,” added Lora Runham, another parent on the team. “So hopefully, I think as they get going, that momentum will build and we’ll see lots of good things.”
To submit a good deed on behalf of the Blue Burlington Eagles, simply record your good deed, post it to social media with the hashtags #GoodDeedsCup, #contest, #u13ablueburlingtoneagles, and #FillTheCup. Then tag @ChevroletCanada and @u13ablue_burlingtoneagles.
