The return to a full regular season, matched with a deep playoff run and capacity crowds, helped push the London Knights 50/50 fundraisers and a donation to a local children’s hospital foundation into record-setting territory.
The Knights and London Knights Alumni Foundation announced Friday a $75,000 donation to the Children’s Health Foundation, the largest donation between the two groups.
“The London Knights are champions for Londoners on and off the ice. We are sincerely grateful to them for their ongoing support of Children’s,” Scott Fortnum, president and CEO of Children’s Health Foundation, said in a statement to Global News.
Children’s Health Foundation benefits the Children’s Hospital in London, Thames Valley Children’s Centre and Children’s Health Research Institute.
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“The Children’s Hospital is a very important part of our community and close to the hearts of the London Knights and our fans,” said Mark Hunter, vice-president and general manager of the Knights.
“Many players that have come through our organization have built strong relationships with kids and their families through our hospital visit program that last to this day.”
Last season, the Knights and their alum group announced a five-year pledge committing $100,000 to Children’s. In just one year, that pledge is now 75 per cent complete.
Rick Doyle, the president of the London Knights Alumni Foundation, says the support from Knights fans throughout the season was overwhelming.
“Moving forward, because of the generosity of the fans, London Knights and the trust they put in us, we may have to rethink this (pledge),” Doyle told Global News.
Along with Children’s receiving the record donation, the Knights 50/50 raised a record-setting $847,755. Half that total was awarded to ticket purchasers, leaving just under $425,000 to be shared among many local organizations.
Some of the groups benefiting from this season’s 50/50 sales include the Sunshine Foundation, the London Foodbank, MADD Canada, the Marner Assist Fund, Hockey Helps the Homeless, the Humane Society London and Middlesex and the Canadian Mental Health Association.
“It’s just fabulous the way that the city of London treats the London Knights hockey club and the support they give them,” said Doyle. “It’s unheard of and unprecedented.”
Indeed, the Knights averaged 8,995 fans a night over the past regular season, the highest across the OHL last season and the highest average attendance for a team since the 2018-19 season.
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