‘Prominent Canadians’ to advise on funds
The Humboldt Broncos’ board of directors will receive advice from a committee of “prominent Canadians” on how to administer more than $15 million raised through a GoFundMe campaign following the deaths of 16 people resulting from crash of the team’s bus, according to the hockey team’s president.
No decisions have been made about who will sit on the committee but it will likely include legal experts and people familiar with the fundraising website used to collect the money, Broncos president Kevin Garinger said Thursday.
Funds started pouring into the GoFundMe page, set up by Humboldt resident Sylvie Kellington, in the hours after the team’s bus collided with a semi north of Tisdale. Sixteen people died as a result of the crash and another 13 were injured.
Garinger said the team is “going to lean on” the advisers. “We need to. We’re a volunteer organization, and we’ve set out right from the getgo to do the best that we possibly can for our families. That’s been our focus and will continue to be our focus,” he said.
The team announced earlier this week that the page would be closed to donations Wednesday at midnight, and that the funds would be transferred to a new non-profit corporation, the Humboldt Broncos Memorial Fund Inc. In total, the GoFundMe campaign raised $15,185,400 in donations from 142,030 people.
Garinger said the team is determined to do the right thing following what he described as a massive outpouring of support, financial and otherwise. MLT Aikins LLP, will provide services pro bono to help administer the funds.
“It’s not something we have ever had to deal with,” Garinger said. “For that matter, has anyone in Canada ever had to deal with anything like this? We want to support our organization, our families, in the best possible way.”