A Bradford Christmas hosted another fundraising event on Wednesday night at Boston Pizza in support of Hockey for Grace charity.
The restaurant pledged to donate 10 per cent of all food sales on Wednesday night to the cause.
Bradford sisters Sarah and Emily Dahlgren are the duo behind A Bradford Christmas, who host regular community fundraisers for local charities.
This year, the sisters have put their support behind Bradford charity, Hockey for Grace.
Chris and Amy Manning started Hockey for Grace in memory of their daughter Grace, who passed away in 2016 at just eight days old. Weighing only four pounds, four ounces, Grace Gabriella was placed in Neonatal Intensive Care, then transferred to the Hospital for Sick Children where it showed through an MRI she had no brain function, beyond basic brain stem activity that allowed her to breathe.
With the devastating news, The Mannings were able to stay with Grace in her final days at Emily's House, a children's hospice in Toronto, where they were able to enjoy their final moments together as a family.
It was shortly after Grace's passing that Chris came up with the idea of the Hockey for Grace annual memorial game, allowing them to raise money for Emily's House.
Each year the game is played with funds raised going to Emily's House.
The couple was all set for the game in April 2020, when the world shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, shutting down their game for the next three years and putting a damper on their fundraising efforts.
"I was very hesitant to do anything (fundraising)," said Amy, noting the financial hardships many were under during the pandemic. "It was just really hard."
When the Dahlgren sisters heard about the couple and their memorial game, they wanted to help and have pledged to raise funds for the charity this season, by hosting an online auction and partnering with local businesses for fundraising events. Their goal is to raise $25,000 for the charity.
Hockey for Grace is thankful for the sisters' support and is happy to be able to host the memorial game once again in 2023 in Newmarket.
The tournament will feature the three divisions(Co-Ed, Recreational and Competitive) on March 4-5, 2023 with The Charity Social taking place on Saturday, March 4 at the Optimist Hall.
Anyone interested in signing up or sponsoring this year's tournament can contact Hockey for Grace on their website here.
A Bradford Christmas will be hosting another fundraising event next Saturday, Dec. 17 at Bradford Jewellery. To learn more about their fundraiser, visit their website here.
