Hitmen Foundation

Reflecting on 30 Years of Calgary Hitmen Foundation Philanthropy

The Calgary Hitmen are proud to celebrate their 30th year of Hitmen hockey and acknowledge their incredible history of generosity and community impact through the Calgary Hitmen Foundation. With over $4 million, the Calgary Hitmen Foundation has donated countless dollars to organizations throughout Calgary and Southern Alberta. The Foundation was created in 2001, not long after the inception of the Calgary Hitmen, and since then, it has flourished and become an organization that has made a lasting impact on the lives of many individuals within the community. Our mission has always been simple – contribute to grassroots and amateur sports, promote health and wellness, and support education. Our focus is to fully support initiatives that bring positive change to the lives of people in our community.

The Calgary Hitmen Foundation gives back in more ways than one. The Foundation was initially created in part to provide Calgary Hitmen players with post-secondary education support and funding. The foundation does this through a scholarship program that distributes money to Hitmen players and donates to the Calgary Board of Education through the 50/50 program each year. Calgary Hitmen awards were also given $2,500 annually to students from SAIT, the University of Calgary, and Mount Royal University.

Over the last twenty years, hundreds of players have completed post-secondary education through the Calgary Hitmen Foundation education fund. The team has donated nearly $700,000 through this charitable arm to fund players’ education at Canadian schools.

The Hitmen Foundation also supports youth sports leagues and has given over $500,000 in Honorarium donations to grassroots sports organizations in Southern Alberta. Through the Calgary Hitmen Foundation 50/50 draw and community programming, the team has distributed donations to many charitable organizations, and most notably, the most significant section of community giving contributions has been allocated to health and wellness organizations in Southern Alberta. With close to 50 recipient organizations, the Calgary Hitmen Foundation has provided over $1 million over time, with the most notable donations including:

$409,895

In 2014, the Calgary Hitmen Foundation donated $400,000 to Camp Kindle from Kids Cancer Care to restore their ropes course. Camp Kindle’s mission is to provide a safe space for kids to feel at home and be themselves while also offering an experience of connecting with the naturally beautiful setting of the Camp in the rolling foothills of the Rocky Mountains. The Calgary Hitmen Foundation generously donated over $400,000 to this incredible project.

$107,350.50

For years, the Alberta Dreams Society, formally known as the Rainbow Society, was the beneficiary of the annual Teddy Bear Toss, fundraised for by the Calgary Hitmen Foundation. The Alberta Dreams Foundation provides incredible opportunities to kids diagnosed with severe chronic or life-threatening medical illnesses by giving them the gift of hope and fulfilling dreams. The Alberta Dreams Society was a long-time beneficiary of the Calgary Hitmen Foundation’s fundraising and received all donations from the game.

$50,000

In 2018, the Calgary Hitmen Foundation announced a $50,000 grant to the Eugene Coste School for their school playground. Under the Foundation’s Community Restoration Program, the Playground Redevelopment project completely rebuilt a new, safe, and fun environment for kids to be active and imaginative. The playground theme was purple, a memorial to a former student whose favourite colour was purple. The Calgary Hitmen Foundation was honoured to be a part of the project that sought to redevelop the play space for the community of Haysborrow.

$60,000

The Calgary Hitmen Foundation partnered with NSTEP to help create healthier schools and students throughout Southern Alberta. NSTEP stands for Nutrition Students Teachers Exercising and Parents and provides hands-on nutrition and physical activity education to children, teachers, and families across Canada. The Foundation donated to NSTEP to support their Move Program, a program that encourages kids to get up and move throughout the day, to be active and to stimulate healthy brain development. Calgary Hitmen players would visit the schools to promote well-being through floor hockey and other sports. NSTEP received $15,000 over four years as part of their donation.

$50,000

In 2017, the Calgary Hitmen Foundation donated $50,000 to upgrade an existing skating rink in Millarville as part of the Foundation’s community restoration grant program. The popular rink, described as the “the hub” of the community in winter months, is used by seven teams involved in pond hockey during the week and is where everyone gathers on the weekends. The grant funded improvements to the facility, including new boards, a new scoreboard, and a new deck and viewing area. They also added a concrete floor to the rink to maintain water retention in the winter and to double it as a sports court in the summer.

$54,726

The Calgary Hitmen Foundation has long supported the Distress Centre of Calgary. The Centre provides 24-hour crisis support, professional counselling, youth peer support, navigation, and referrals to individuals in Calgary struggling with mental health issues. It ensures that everyone who seeks help is properly heard and provides compassion and accessible crisis support to all individuals in distress. Over the years, the Calgary Hitmen Foundation generously donated over $50,000 to the organization.

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