The Flin Flon Minor Hockey Association (FFMHA) will be increasing programs for young players next season, thanks to a five-figure grant from a national corporate sponsor.
Flin Flon’s youth hockey organization received a hefty donation from the Kruger Big Assist program late last month, picking up thousands in funds to help get first-time players on the ice and helping players polish their skills.
The FFMHA was one of six recipients of funding through the program, operated by Kruger Products, the parent company of paper tissue brands Cashmere, Purex, Scotties and SpongeTowels. In total, more than $600,000 in funding was provided through the Big Assist program this year - the FFMHA has received $25,000 in total.
That funding will go toward subsidizing fees for young players and funding programs within Flin Flon designed to get more kids on the ice. The funding will be used to cover costs for first-year players, covering all age groups from under-seven to under-13, as well as providing skill development programs and boosts for the FFMHA’s girls’ hockey teams.
The winners - the FFMHA, Calgary’s Knights Hockey Club, the Greater Miramichi Female Hockey Association in New Brunswick, Toronto’s Moss Park Hockey League, the Gloucester-Cumberland Girls Hockey Association in Ottawa and the Association de Hockey Mineur Pointe-Aux-Trembles in Montreal - were selected for their efforts to grow the game through encouraging inclusion, diversity and youth support.
“This year's selected associations have been chosen based on their efforts to reach families in need of financial assistance, inspire youth to fall in love with the sport, support youth to achieve their dreams through hockey, and encourage diversity and inclusion in the community,” reads a statement from Kruger Canada.
The FFMHA may also receive even more money - as part of the program, Kruger offers a second grant called the Second Assist, which provides another $50,000 to one of the six minor hockey organizations that have been awarded. The winning organization will be named April 13.
The Second Assist funds, according to Kruger, will go toward a minor hockey association in the goal of “supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion in Canadian hockey,” according to the company statement.
“The company will award an additional $50,000 grant to one of the winning hockey associations, chosen based on their plans to further promote diversity, equity and inclusion in their communities through hockey initiatives.”
