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“These funds will make a significant impact.”

July 17, 2024

4 MIN READ

Winnipeg Jets Whiteout Parties raise $100,000 to help Winnipeggers in need.

TOUR 2

Scott Arniel says he remembers the original Winnipeg Jets Whiteout Parties, when he played left wing for the hockey club back in the 1980s.

Today, he’s thrilled to see how those playoff parties have evolved from making some noise for the team to making a tangible and positive impact beyond the ice and into the community.

“It was an exciting part of my personal hockey story. You just see the passion, you see the energy that is coming from the city when that happens,” Arniel recalled. “I couldn’t be prouder to be part of this team and part of the community that continues to demonstrate how they show up for one another.”

Arniel was one of several guests at United Way Winnipeg yesterday to celebrate $100,000 raised at this spring’s Whiteout Parties will go directly to help Winnipeggers in need.
Funds were evenly distributed to four community organizations with a focus on homelessness, addiction, and hunger.

“This is probably one of the hardest times our city’s ever faced, in terms of the situation around homelessness, toxic drug supply, and mental health challenges that we’ve seen,” said Jamil Mahmood, executive director of Main Street Project—one of the agencies who received $25,000.

“This is a time where we all need to come together, and funding like this really gives us the support we need on the front lines to be able to do the work that supports our most vulnerable citizens.”

Since 2019, True North Sports + Entertainment has partnered with United Way Winnipeg to
channel fans’ playoff excitement for the Winnipeg Jets into tangible community impacts, with
half the proceeds of the popular Whiteout Street Parties tickets directed to United Way Winnipeg. More than 170,000 fans have attended Whiteout Street Parties since they began.

During this spring’s playoff run, True North presented United Way Winnipeg with three ceremonial cheques of $25,000. A contribution from Academy Hospitality’s Party in the Plaza events and small top-off from True North adds an additional $25,000, bringing the total community contribution for 2024 to $100,000.

To date, more than $312,000 has been re-invested into downtown agencies for urgent and critical support in the areas of homelessness, addiction, and hunger through the Whiteout Street Parties.

“Winnipeggers rally around their city like no other fans in the country. They take care of each other—and the money raised at the Whiteout Parties is an amazing example of that,” said United Way Winnipeg President and CEO Michael Richardson.

These funds will make a significant impact on Winnipeggers by supporting the life-saving work being done every day—both in our community, and for our community.”

 

"These funds will make a significant impact on Winnipeggers by supporting the life-saving work being done every day—both in our community, and for our community."

The four community organizations which received $25,000 each are:

  • Bruce Oake Recovery Centre: providing long-term residential care and addiction treatment for men struggling with drugs and alcohol.
  • N’dinawemak-Our Relatives’ Place: an Indigenous-led resource offering 24/7 space for individuals experiencing homelessness.
  • Siloam Mission: which supports Winnipeggers struggling to meet their basic needs with clothing, food, shelter, and belonging.
  • Main Street Project: a safe and welcoming place for people experiencing homelessness, substance use, and mental health challenges.

Representatives from each organization were on hand for the announcement, and Arniel shared his immense gratitude for those on the front lines of our city’s most urgent challenges.

“Thank you for the work you are doing in our community. We hope to be able to play a role in helping us move this forward in the seasons to come,” said Arniel. “We appreciate everything that you do for us and hopefully that we can continue to help along the way.”

True North Sports + Entertainment Senior Vice President Kevin Donnelly said supporting community is foundational to the company’s core, and he’s thrilled the partnership with United Way Winnipeg gives fans another meaningful way to make a real difference for our city.

“At True North, we view it as a responsibility to give back and find meaningful ways to support this community which the Winnipeg Jets and Manitoba Moose call home—particularly within our downtown, where we are proud to be a community neighbor,” said Donnelly. “The season is always an exciting time for community, and when we can extend the impact of our team’s playoff run, it is that much more meaningful.

“Thank you again to everyone who supported these events. It is truly a reflection of the spirit of our entire community.”

"Funding like this really gives us the support we need on the front lines to be able to do the work that supports our most vulnerable citizens."

After the announcement, Mahmood walked with Arniel and Donnelly—along with United Way Winnipeg’s Richardson and Board Chair Donna Miller—to Main Street Project for a tour so they could experience firsthand how the Whiteout Parties will help Winnipeggers.

Mahmood explained how people have a safe place to sleep in the agency’s emergency shelter beds and how its grocery store-style food bank, where Winnipeggers can come and shop for what they need at no cost, creates dignity for those experiencing poverty and homelessness.

“What we’ve seen in the last number of years is a real united front in the community, and how we respond collectively to the challenges we’re facing,” said Mahmood. “That, along with support from organizations like True North and the United Way, go a really long way for how we continue to make the change we want to see in our city.”

He also shared some of Main Street Project’s plans to create a more robust and cohesive campus-style neighbourhood for the 11,000 residents of the city’s downtown.

People are healthy when they’re in healthy communities,” said Mahmood. “We want to give people the space to feel proud of their neighbourhood.”

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