Online campaign raises millions for victims’ families
As tributes and condolences poured in from across the country and around the world for the victims of the bus crash that claimed the lives of at least 13 players from the Humboldt Broncos, their coach and a team broadcaster, mourners put their money where their sympathies lay, raising $1,937,179 in less than 24 hours on a GoFundMe site set up for victim relief.
Less than a day after the devastating crash, more than 37,761 individual donors had pushed the total to nearly $2.6 million, a rapid outpouring that reflected the tragedy’s widespread impact. From the NHL stars and coaches to politicians like Saskatechewan premier Scott Moe, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and even U.S. President Donald Trump, few were unmoved by the devastation.
Donations ranged from as little as $5 to one donation, from a Simon Yakubowitz, of $1,000, but most were less than $100.
But the volume of donations made clear the breadth of the tragedy’s impact. Donations and condolences poured in from British Columbia, Quebec, Nova Scotia, the Yukon, North Dakota, Texas and Colombia, to name a few. One famous name checked in from New Jersey: NHL Devils’ coach Ken Daneyko.
The campaign organizer, Humboldt’s Syvlie Kellington, told a local newspaper that she was stunned by the response. “It’s been mind-blowing and just so heartwarming,” she said. “I’m just so grateful.”