Click here to watch the #COURAGE21 Inline Skate Team Testimonial

Blind Hockey Team to Inline Skate 1000 kms from Windsor to Ottawa

#COURAGE21 Relay Skate Celebrates 10-year Anniversary with $100,000 Fundraising Goal

(TORONTO, ON. August 26, 2021.) A team of Blind Hockey players will have their courage on full display this September as they relay-skate 1000 kilometers on a trip between Windsor and Ottawa for the upcoming #COURAGE21 Inline Skate Fundraiser.  The campaign takes place between September 1 and 11, with the goals of continuing to raise awareness the Para sport of Blind Hockey, and to raise $100,000 in support of Canadian Blind Hockey programming coast-to-coast.

#COURAGE21 is also celebration of all that has been achieved over the past decade and honours a very important anniversary for Canadian Blind Hockey. The charity was founded by Blind Hockey player Mark DeMontis who inline skated from Toronto to Vancouver in 2009, and then Halifax to Toronto in 2011.  #COURAGE21 honours the 10^th anniversary of the completion of Mark’s cross-Canada journeys which raised the necessary funds to begin to grow the Para sport of Blind Hockey to where it is today.

“The vision has always been focused on giving kids who were blind or partially sighted the opportunity to play hockey, and it is incredible to see what has happened with the growth of the sport over the last ten years,” said DeMontis. “I can’t think of a better way to celebrate than another inline skate with some teammates through my home province of Ontario and to raise some much-needed funds to keep the vision going for the next ten years.”

The #COURAGE21 team will be visiting the following communities throughout the trip:

Wednesday, September 1: Windsor, Chatham

Thursday, September 2: London

Friday, September 3: Brantford

Saturday, September 4: Hamilton, Mississauga, Weston

Sunday, September 5: Toronto

Monday, September 6: Oshawa

Tuesday, September 7: Belleville

Wednesday, September 8: Kingston

Thursday, September 9: Gananoque, Brockville

Friday, September 10: Smiths Falls, Kanata

Saturday, September 11: Ottawa

In 2011 there were only four Blind Hockey teams across the country and none outside of Canada. Over the last decade Canadian Blind Hockey has led the development of the sport to grow to fourteen teams in Canada, 20 teams in the United States, and programs in six countries worldwide including England, Russia, Finland, and Sweden.  The next steps including growing the International Blind Ice Hockey Federation and establishing the first-ever World Championships for Blind Ice Hockey.

“Blind Hockey was invented in Canada at the W Ross MacDonald School for the Blind in 1936, and yet 75 years later it was still a very small sport with no national organization” states Canadian Blind Hockey Executive Director Matt Morrow.  “The previous inline skates changed all that led to the creation of Canadian Blind Hockey which has now impacted the lives of thousands of boys and girls who are blind or partially sighted across Canada, established children and youth teams across the country, hosted dozens of camps and regional tournaments, and founded the annual Canadian National Blind Hockey Tournament.”

In addition to inline skating 100 kilometers per day Canadian Blind Hockey will be hosting campaign events in communities along the way including a departure event in Windsor on Wednesday, September 1 and an arrival celebration and Blind Hockey game at TD Place Arena in Ottawa on Saturday, September 11.

For more information about #COURAGE21 or Canadian Blind Hockey please visit: canadianblindhockey.com

For media inquiries and to arrange interviews:

Matt Morrow

Executive Director, Canadian Blind Hockey

Mattmorrow@blindicehockey.com

(604) 812-6786

Luca DeMontis

Program Manager, Canadian Blind Hockey

lucademontis@blindicehockey.com

(416) 454-4771

From September 1 to 11 a team of Blind Hockey players will have their courage on full display as they inline skate 1000 km’s in cities between Windsor and Ottawa, with the ambitious goal of raising $100,000 in support of life-changing Blind Hockey programming.

Now is your chance to help them by joining the #COURAGE21 Virtual Challenge! Either sign up as an individual and pledge to do 100 km’s of physical activity and raise $100 + in support of Blind Hockey programming or sign up as a team and pledge to do 1000 km’s of activity and set a goal of raising $1,000 or more.

Canadian Blind Hockey recommends inline skating, however cycling, running, walking or any other method of exercise are all perfectly acceptable. The purpose of the #COURAGE21 Virtual Challenge is to participate in a fun fitness challenge to get you in shape while raising money for a great cause!

Members of Canada’s National Blind Hockey Team will be taking part in the #COURAGE21 Virtual Challenge as they raise funds for the National Team Program, while all other funds will be used in support of children, youth, and adult Blind Hockey programs coast-to-coast.

HOW DO I REGISTER?

Joining the challenge is easy! Simply visit our Canada Helps Virtual Challenge here.  You will either sign up as an individual, create a team, or join a team. You will add your profile picture and set your fundraising goal, and then write your bio. Canadian Blind Hockey recommends that you include the following, but be sure to customize it for you:

“I am joining the #COURAGE21 Virtual Challenge! I pledge to do__ km’s of _________ between September 1 and 11. My goal is to raise _____ in support of life-changing Blind Hockey programming coast-to-coast! Please consider supporting me as I support Canadian Blind Hockey in their mission to make hockey accessible to every Canadian who is blind or partially sighted.”

HOW DOES THE FUNDRAISING WORK?

Once you have completed your page you will be able to share the link via email and all of your social media accounts such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Linkedin.  Your friends, family, colleagues, and other supporters will be able to donate directly to your personal fundraiser and will instantly receive their charitable tax receipt from Canada Helps. It’s that simple!

HOW DOES THE CHALLENGE WORK?

The #COURAGE21 Virtual Challenge is 100% on the honour system.  It is up to challenge participants to track their kilometers of physical activity between September 1 – 11.  Once you achieve your goal email info@blindicehockey.com to let us know that you have completed the challenge and include a personal message of thanks to all of your donors.  Canadian Blind Hockey will send you a certificate of completion as well as send an email including your message to all of your donors to let them know that you achieved your goal!

TEAM CHALLENGE

The team challenge is the perfect way to kick off the 2021 – 2022 hockey season! From minor hockey teams to adult rec teams and all levels in between, the #COURAGE21 Virtual Challenge is a perfect training camp as the puck drops on the season.

For businesses looking for a staff team-building challenge, or service clubs, community groups, or other groups of friends, the #COURAGE21 Virtual Team Challenge is a fun way to get fit while supporting a great cause!

SPREAD AWARENESS OF #BLIND #HOCKEY!

Equally as important as raising funds, the purpose of the #COURAGE21 Virtual Challenge is to raise awareness for the rapidly growing Para sport of Blind Hockey.  Whether you are skating, cycling, running, walking, or other – be sure to post pictures using the #COURAGE21 hashtag and continue to spread the word about Blind Hockey.  There are now 14 programs operating in cities coast-to-coast, let’s work together to make sure every Canadian who is blind or partially sighted has the opportunity to get off of the bench and onto the ice!

#COURAGE21 T-SHIRTS FOR SUPER-STAR FUNDRAISERS

Anyone who completes the #COURAGE21 Virtual Challenge and also raises a minimum of $250 will receive their own #COURAGE21 t-shirt in the mail. Teams that achieve the $1000 goal will receive 4 t-shirts. What a perfect way to show your support of Blind Hockey programming in Canada!

FOLLOW THE #COURAGE21 $100,000 INLINE SKATE FUNDRAISER

The #COURAGE21 Virtual Challenge is in support of the #COURAGE21 Inline Skate Fundraiser where Blind Hockey players Mark DeMontis, Kelly Serbu, Francois Beauregard, Matt Shaw, and Laura Mark and their guides Marc Lafortune, PJ Power Luca DeMontis, and Matt Morrow will relay-skate from the edge of Southwestern Ontario to the Nation’s Capital to raise $100,000 in support life-changing Blind Hockey programming coast-to-coast.  Learn more about their journey here and be sure to follow them on all of Canadian Blind Hockey’s social media channels.

For assistance or further information about the #COURAGE21 Virtual Challenge please email info@blindicehockey.com.

For more information about Blind Hockey please visit canadianblindhockey.com.

Hi, my name is Laura Mark, and I am Canadian Blind Hockey’s Girls and Women’s Coordinator.

I was diagnosed with eye conditions at birth including Bi-lateral Optic Nerve Hypoplasia. I played hockey for 15 years until my vision had deteriorated to the point where I could no longer play.

In 2013 everything changed when I discovered Blind Hockey which has positively impacted my life and gave me back the sport I have always loved. I want to inspire and help young girls who are blind or partially sighted get involved with Blind Hockey.

Please consider helping us create programming for blind or partially sighted children and youth to get them off the bench and onto the ice!

Laura Mark

TO SUPPORT LAURA’S #COURAGE21 FUNDRAISER CLICK HERE!

We are currently over a third of the way to our $100,000 #COURAGE21 fundraising goal in support of Blind Hockey programming! Thank you to all of our sponsors, donors, and partners who continue to make hockey #accessible for Canadians who are blind or partially sighted. If you are interested in becoming a sponsor please email info@blindicehockey.com or  Click here to donate today!

#COURAGE21 Windsor to Ottawa $100,000 Inline Skate Fundraiser

Ten days of skating, to celebrate ten years of achievements. A one-thousand-kilometer challenge, with a one-hundred-thousand-dollar fundraising goal.

From September 1 through 10, 2021 a team of Blind Hockey players will have their courage on full display as they inline skate 1000 kilometers from Windsor to Ottawa. Blind Hockey players Mark DeMontis, Kelly Serbu, Francois Beauregard, Matt Shaw, and their guides Marc Lafortune, PJ Power, Luca DeMontis, and Matt Morrow will relay-skate from the edge of Southwestern Ontario to the Nation’s Capital to raise $100,000 in support life-changing Blind Hockey programming coast-to-coast.

THE BACKSTORY…

In 2009 Blind Hockey player Mark DeMontis inline skated over 5000 km’s from his hometown of Toronto to Vancouver in his “Quest for the West” fundraising campaign in support of the little known Para sport of Blind Ice Hockey. Two years later, he completed the cross-Canada journey with his 2011 “Halifax to Toronto” inline skate campaign, which ultimately led to the creation of Canadian Blind Hockey as we know it today. Now, ten years later, Mark has recruited teammates from within the ever-growing Blind Hockey community to join him in an inline skate fundraiser relay to tackle 1000 kilometers over 10 days in celebration of 10 amazing years!

“The tagline for the first skate was ‘I may have lost my sight, but I will never lose my vision,’” said DeMontis.  “At the time of the first skate I was twenty-two, and the vision was that I just wanted to give kids who were blind or partially sighted the opportunity to skate and play hockey. It is incredible to see what has happened with the growth of the sport over the last ten years across Canada and around the world.  I can’t think of a better way to celebrate that success than skating through my home province of Ontario to raise some much-needed funds to keep the vision going for the next ten years.”

Learn more about the #COURAGE21 Inline Skate Fundraiser and support accessible hockey by visiting our #COURAGE21 page here.

#COURAGE21 Patiner pour redonner.  Windsor à Ottawa.

Collecte de fonds de 100 000 $ pour le hockey sonore, du hockey adapté pour les personnes aveugles ou malvoyantes

Dix jours de patinage, pour fêter dix ans de réalisations. Un défi de 1 000 kilomètres, avec un objectif de collecte de fonds de 100 000 $.

Du 1er au 10 septembre 2021, une équipe de joueurs de hockey sonore démontrera tout son courage en faisant du patin à roues alignées sur 1 000 kilomètres de Windsor à Ottawa. Les joueurs de hockey sonore Mark DeMontis, Kelly Serbu, François Beauregard, Matt Shaw ainsi que leurs guides Marc Lafortune, PJ Power, Luca DeMontis et Matt Morrow patineront à relais pour amasser 100 000 $ afin de soutenir le hockey sonore d’un océan à l’autre.

L’HISTOIRE…

En 2009, Mark DeMontis a parcouru plus de 5 000 km depuis sa ville natale de Toronto jusqu’à Vancouver lors de son périple « Quest for the West ». La campagne venait en appui au para sport alors peu connu du hockey sur glace pour les aveugles. Deux ans plus tard, avec sa campagne 2011, il a complété sa traversée du Canada en patinant d’Halifax à Toronto. Ce second exploit a mené à la création de Canadian Blind Hockey/ Hockey sonore Canada. Cette année, dix ans plus tard, Mark sera accompagné de coéquipiers issus de la communauté du hockey sonore. Ensemble, ils feront un rallye de collecte de fonds en patins à roues alignées sur 1 000 kilomètres en 10 jours pour célébrer 10 années incroyables!

“Le slogan du premier périple était” J’ai peut-être perdu la vue, mais je ne perdrai jamais ma vision””, a déclaré DeMontis. « Au moment du premier patinage, j’avais vingt-deux ans et mon but était simplement de donner aux enfants aveugles ou malvoyants l’occasion de patiner et de jouer au hockey. C’est incroyable de voir la croissance du sport au cours des dix dernières années au Canada et dans le monde. Je ne peux pas penser à une meilleure façon de célébrer ce succès que de patiner dans ma province natale de l’Ontario pour amasser des fonds indispensables pour poursuivre cette mission pour les dix prochaines années.

Pour tout savoir sur  #COURAGE21  patiner pour redonner, et pour aider le hockey allez à notre page   #COURAGE21  en cliquant ici 

Hi. I’m Mark DeMontis, a two-time gold medalist with Canada’s National Blind Hockey Team and proud to be an honoured member of the Canadian Blind Hockey Hall of Fame in the Builders Category.

Like many young Canadians, I dreamed of playing in the NHL. At age 17 when I was playing in the GTHL, and only one year away from a hopeful NCAA scholarship, I was unexpectedly diagnosed with a rare condition called LHON which took away the central sight in both my eyes. Not only did I lose my sight, driver’s license, and ability to see family and friends clearly, but I lost any chance of ever playing pro.

With great support from my family, friends, and community in York South-Weston, I found the strength to go on a new journey in life. I soon discovered the Toronto Ice Owls Blind Hockey Team and it changed my life. I decided to found Courage Canada – a charity to start hockey programs for the blind and partially sighted.

In 2009, at age 22, I strapped on a pair of inline skates and went on a five province, 5,000km fundraising campaign from Toronto to Vancouver.  Two years later in 2011, I followed up that trip this time skating 2,000km from Halifax to Toronto to raise additional funds.  Now, on the 10-year anniversary of that skate, my teammates and I will be skating a 1000 km 10-day relay campaign with a goal of raising $100,000 to support the Para sport of Blind Hockey.

In 2016 Courage Canada evolved into Canadian Blind Hockey and remains a charity committed to raising funds and awareness to start programs, and hosting Blind Hockey camps and tournaments from coast-to-coast. Since the last skate in 2011 the organization has grown rapidly over the past decade and now supports 14 programs across Canada and hundreds of Canadians who are blind or partially sighted of all ages. With this skate, we are celebrating the past ten years of incredible growth but also looking forward to the next ten years as we continue to grow this great organization.

In order to keep changing the lives of Canadians who are blind and partially sighted, and allow them to play our great game, we need your support.  This upcoming #COURAGE21 inline skate fundraiser will be another chance to not only create endless more opportunities, remove barriers and celebrate the diversity in our game.

Join our journey by considering making a donation. Every dollar counts! Your support is greatly appreciated.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Mark DeMontis

TO SUPPORT MARK’S #COURAGE21 FUNDRAISER CLICK HERE.

Salut. Je suis Mark DeMontis, double médaillé d’or avec l’équipe nationale de hockey pour aveugles du Canada et fier d’être un membre du Temple de la renommée du hockey pour aveugles du Canada dans la catégorie des bâtisseurs.

Comme beaucoup de jeunes Canadiens, je rêvais de jouer dans la LNH. À l’âge de 17 ans, alors que je jouais dans la GTHL et à seulement un an d’une bourse pleine d’espoir de la NCAA, on m’a diagnostiqué de manière inattendue une maladie rare appelée LHON qui m’ a privé de ma vision centrale. Non seulement j’ai perdu la vue, le permis de conduire et la capacité de voir clairement ma famille et mes amis, mais j’ai perdu toute chance de jouer un jour comme professionnel.

Grâce au grand soutien de ma famille, de mes amis et de la communauté de York-Sud-Weston, j’ai trouvé la force d’entreprendre un nouveau voyage dans la vie. J’ai rapidement découvert l’équipe de hockey sonore des Ice Owls de Toronto et cela a changé ma vie. J’ai décidé de fonder Courage Canada – un organisme de bienfaisance pour lancer des programmes de hockey pour les aveugles et les malvoyants.

En 2009, à l’âge de 22 ans, j’ai enfilé une paire de patins à roues alignées et j’ai participé à une campagne de financement de 5 000 km dans cinq provinces, de Toronto à Vancouver. Deux ans plus tard, en 2011, j’ai poursuivi ce voyage en patinant cette fois sur 2 000 km de Halifax à Toronto pour amasser des fonds supplémentaires. Maintenant, à l’occasion du 10e anniversaire de cette campagne, mes coéquipiers et moi allons patiner un relais de 1 000 km sur 10 jours dans le but d’amasser 100 000 $ pour soutenir le para-sport du hockey pour aveugle.

Courage Canada a évolué pour devenir Canada Blind Hockey / Hockey sonore Canada. Il s’agit d’un organisme de bienfaisance engagé à sensibiliser le public, à mettre sur pieds des programmes , des camps et des tournois de hockey pour aveugles d’un océan à l’autre. Depuis le dernier rallye en 2011, l’organisation a connu une croissance rapide et soutient maintenant 14 programmes à travers le Canada regroupant des centaines de Canadiens aveugles ou malvoyants de tous âges. Avec ce relais, nous célébrons les dix dernières années de croissance incroyable, mais nous attendons également avec impatience les dix prochaines années alors que nous continuons à développer cette grande organisation.

Afin de continuer à changer la vie des Canadiens aveugles et malvoyants et de leur permettre de jouer notre sport national, nous avons besoin de votre soutien. Cette prochaine collecte de fonds #Courage21 sera l’occasion de saisir d’innombrables opportunités, d’éliminer les obstacles et de célébrer la diversité de notre jeu.

Soyez de notre périple en faisant un don. Chaque dollar compte ! Votre aide est très appréciée.

Merci du fond du cœur.

Mark DeMontis