A group of hockey moms in Langley, B.C. has launched a campaign to show support for the victims of the Humboldt Broncos bus crash.
Jennifer Pinch said they want everyone to wear a hockey jersey — or any other type of sports jersey — on April 12 as a sign of support to crash victims and their families.
“On Thursday, April 12, 2018 we will wear our jerseys to show our support and send our love,” reads a post on the group’s Facebook page.
Pinch said wearing a jersey is a simple gesture that will let victims’ families know that “they’re not alone…. There’s a whole community behind them.”
Globalnews.ca coverage of the Humboldt bus crash
Pinch said the idea began during a group chat in a Facebook group for Langley hockey moms, who were hit hard by the news of the fatal crash.
RCMP say the death toll in the crash between a truck and a bus carrying the Humboldt Broncos has risen to 15.
Police say there were 28 people on the bus.
The rest of the passengers were taken to hospital with injuries, some critical.
Pinch hopes the jersey day campaign will spread throughout Canada and beyond.
She says the group has already received messages from Ontario, Manitoba, the U.S. and even the Netherlands.
Pinch has a 16-year-old son who plays hockey and says the tragedy in Saskatchewan hits close to home.
“My son goes on these road trips all the time,” she said. “It could happen to any of us.”
The hockey world has been quick to voice its support behind the victims of the crash.
A Delta chaplain is organizing a prayer vigil for the victims at Ladner’s Lighthouse Church on Sunday at 6 p.m.
Hockey teams, players and organizations across Canada posted condolences to social media, many referencing the fact that they too have taken hundreds of bus trips throughout their junior hockey careers.
A GoFundMe Page page created by a Humboldt resident just hours after the tragic Broncos bus crash has raised $1 million in less than 24 hours.
— With files from Kyle Benning and the Canadian Press