The Hockey Day Minnesota event in Bemidji raised $360,000.
The local organizing committee for Hockey Day Minnesota –Bemidji 2019 announced two major donations during the past Saturday’s broadcast of Hockey Day Minnesota.
Of the total raised, $300,000 was donated to the Bemidji Community Arena, with the remaining $60,000 donated towards an outdoor hockey arena at the planned Sanford Health Wellness Center project in the rail corridor.
“On behalf of the Committee, I want to thank the Bemidji hockey community for its tremendous support of our event,” said Committee Chair Tom Kuesel.
“Our goal at the outset was to raise enough money to put on an event that would make Bemidji proud, and to donate any proceeds back to the hockey community. Raising $360,000.00 was beyond our wildest dreams, and hopefully cements the legacy of Hockey Day Bemidji. It is a true testament to the overwhelming support we received from our 114 sponsors, our hard-working volunteers who covered 485 shifts over 3 days, and our 13,700 dedicated hockey fans. Not even a little cold weather could turn them away from our Hockey Day!”
“I get goosebumps just thinking about the event and the level of support we received from the community. I’ve been blessed to be a part of this community since 1986 and I’ve seen just how supportive this community is for events and organizations like the United Way, Dragon Boats, the Jaycees, Rotary, Lions, and the list goes on and on. I was confident our community would support this too but the level of the support we got blew us all out of the water. Not only were we able to put on this one-of-a-kind event, the money raised above our costs will make a significant impact on youth hockey here in Bemidji. It just reiterates why this is such a great place to live and work,” said Brian Bissonette, Hockey Day Bemidji Committee Marketing Chair.
“I know some are probably asking what took so long, the event was 4 years ago. The main reason was we wanted to be sure the funds we raised were going to make a long lasting impact on hockey here in Bemidji. That was what we intended to do with any proceeds from the event and with the construction of the second rink at the Bemidji Community Arena not yet a reality after our event and the prospect of the outdoor rink being part of the Sanford Wellness Center project a few years in the future, we wanted to wait to see how both of those hockey initiatives shook out. The second rink at the BCA got our first commitment since that project did get finalized and was being constructed,” added Tracy Pogue, Hockey Day Bemidji Committee Finance Chair.
