The GoFundMe campaign dedicated to the Humboldt Broncos closed Wednesday and all the donations will be transferred to a newly created memorial fund to help the victims of the horrific bus crash in Saskatchewan.
As of Wednesday night, more than 140,000 donations have been registered on the GoFundMe page, totaling $15,185,700.
The crowdsourced fundraising campaign is believed to be the largest of its kind in Canadian history.
Humboldt Broncos president Kevin Garinger said the team is “extremely grateful” for the donations and countless messages of support received since the April 6 crash that killed 16 people, including hockey players, Broncos staff and the bus driver.
“Our primary goal here is to help the families,” Garinger told CTV News Channel on Wednesday. “We didn’t have any expectations…it just speaks to the outpouring of support from our communities and our folks across our nations.”
The GoFundMe campaign was started by Humboldt, Sask. resident Sylvie Kellington. Garinger said her initial goal was to raise up to $5,000, but the campaign immediately took off.
Garinger said the team has retained legal counsel and accountants to help manage the money that will be transferred to the new Humboldt Broncos Memorial Fund. He said a committee will also be established to decide how the funds will be divided among the victims’ families.
“We’re going to do the right thing to support the Humboldt Broncos family,” he said.
The team has previously said that it will continue to accept donations through another new organization, the Humboldt Strong Community Foundation, which will "support Humboldt Broncos players, employees, families and volunteers, as well as first responders and emergency services personnel, teams, athletes, related organizations and communities affected by the crash."
With files from The Canadian Press
