MCDAVID MAKES A DIFFERENCE
Superstar embraces charity: Jones
He’s 21 years old now, Connor McDavid, and we’ve already had the opportunity to watch him take his place as the greatest player in the game.
Now we’re getting a chance to watch him grow as a serious, responsible entity off the ice, too.
McDavid stepped out on Tuesday as a Jumpstart ambassador with the Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation with a commitment over the next three years for $85,000.
When the greatest player in the game attaches his name to a charity like McDavid has with Jumpstart and decides to make himself very visible in doing so, it’s an occasion.
And that’s what it was Tuesday at the Commonwealth Community Recreation Centre as he presided over the Jumpstart Games.
It was something to witness. But it wasn’t watching him that was most impressive. It was listening to him.
“Seeing these kids here today really reminds us all of what sport is all about,” McDavid said from the podium.
“Playing hockey isn’t just about making it into the NHL. There’s so much more to it than that. Sport has given me so much, and I’m so grateful to be in a position to take it forward to the next generation, especially in this community. I’m very proud to play for and give back to the people here,” he told the 300-plus Indigenous kids, coaches, parents and volunteers.
While he’s been an ambassador to Jumpstart, the Canadian Tire program dedicated to helping kids overcome financial and
I’m so grateful to be in a position to take it forward to the next generation, especially in this community. I’m very proud to play for and give back to the people here.
accessibility barriers to sport to provide inclusive play for all kids and all abilities since 2015, McDavid is taking his involvement to a new level.
“Jumpstart is close to my heart. The development of these kids is so important. It just seemed like a perfect fit,” he said in an interview when the podium production was over.
Edmonton has embraced him and the young man who already has won two NHL scoring titles said, as he begins to go forward as an Oiler with a new eight-year US$100 million contract in his pocket, he’s going to embrace it back.
“This is a city of hard-working people with a passion for the Oilers. Edmonton is a fairly big city, but it also has a small-town feel. I come from a smaller town, and I feel very at home here,” the native of Newmarket, Ont., said.
“People are very nice and I definitely love it. Everyone is so nice and always looking to give a hand at whatever they can. You definitely get that sense when you are in and around the city.”
It has always been the observation of your correspondent that there are very few places with the sense of community and the level of volunteerism as you’ll find here, and McDavid said he’s come to see that, too.
“You look at the number of volunteers who are here today,; it’s remarkable,” McDavid said. “It’s a city that loves to give back and care for people.”
He said he intends to use his profile in similar projects going forward.
“Just stuff like this,” he said. “Stuff that’s going to make a difference and stuff that needs a light to be shined on it.
“This is a program for the Indigenous communities, and with the donation, it’s going to reach over 7,000 kids a year. That’s a remarkable number. Everyone deserves a chance to learn and to grow, to have fun and experience all the great things that sport has to offer. Everybody in Edmonton should feel good that there’s going to be someone looking out for those communities.
“To me, when you are an Oiler, it doesn’t have to be a charity or something like this, but just being conscious of doing something to make a kid’s day in the community.
“For a community that has supported us for as long as they have and loved us like they have, I think we have to make sure we’re out and about and doing all we can to make a difference.”