Wristband fundraiser raises more than $27,000 for Humboldt Broncos families

After the Humboldt Broncos bus crash in April, Sarah Rakochy knew she had to do something.

“Sweaters and decals were out in hours, but nobody had bracelets out,” said Rakochy.

That’s when Rakochy, 25, and her friend decided to organize a fundraiser for the Broncos.

The idea of selling wristbands was posted on Facebook the night after the crash, and within two days, nearly 3,000 were sold.

“It basically became my life for two weeks straight,” explained Rakochy. “I was glued to my phone until two in the morning and packaging bracelets and mailing them.”

So far, 10,000 bracelets have been sold, raising more than $27,200.

At the end of July, all of the money will be divided 29 ways for the each of the families impacted by the crash.

The wristbands sell for three dollars each, plus shipping, but Rakochy said it’s common to see a donation on top of that. Orders have come in from across Canada, the United States, as well as Europe.

A Facebook page, now with 2,000 followers, was started for people to place orders.

“Last week I sent out 100,” Rakochy said, “and this week I sent out about 50 still so they’re still selling.”

Rakochy said she has no personal connection to the Broncos hockey team. Instead, the idea was sparked from a similar fundraiser, following a tragedy in 2011 near her hometown of Sturgis.

“There was an accident that included classmates of mine, as well as classmates ahead of me,” she said. “They were in a drunk driving accident. When we lost two boys out of the accident of seven, it hit hard. We were pretty close with them all. Their families had gone ahead and done bracelets.”

“Remembering those bracelets, it was something that spoke to me.”