WINNIPEG — It was a whirlwind weekend for the Oak Park Raiders football team. On Monday a few players from the Winnipeg Blue Bombers made an appearance at the high school team’s practice, and they brought some news.
“We donated $10,000 from the team, and $1,000 from our equipment company, and we dropped off some equipment here for them to use until they get their stuff,” Andrew Harris from the Blue Bombers said.
READ MORE: $25,000 donated to Winnipeg football team after they lose everything in a fire
On Saturday morning the team manager arrived to the team’s practice field to find the entire pod holding their equipment had been burned to the ground. All that was left behind was charred remains, a sight that devastated the team, but quickly turned around.
“We wanted to come here and give them an opportunity to have the right equipment and be in a place where they can still practice and get better for the playoffs here,” Harris said.
After a Go Fund Me page was set up, the team reached their goal of $25,000 for new equipment in less than 24 hours. A large part of that came from Winnipeg’s CFL team but also a massive community effort.
“Forty-eight hours ago I was feeling pretty brutal,” Stu Nixon, Oak Park coach said. “It just turned so special. It was awesome.”
Oak Park’s next game is this Friday, meaning they didn’t even have to go one game without having any equipment.
“Huge Thanksgiving for us, Thanksgiving turned into Christmas,” Nixon said.
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