Canadian aunt’s hockey fundraiser grows from C$10,000 to over C$1 million

For Andernacht, the tournament has become an example of what can happen when people turn personal hardship into collective action. A hockey tournament born from a family cancer diagnosis has grown into a decade-long fundraising effort, turning a group of friends, a few teams and a shared love of the game into a million-dollar community movement. For Canadian organiser Dianne Andernacht, what began as a deeply personal experience eventually became a way to bring hockey players together for something much bigger than competition, states a release by the Canadian Cancer Society.When cancer came close to homeAndernacht's connection to cancer became personal in 2008, when her three-year-old nephew, Aidan, was diagnosed with neuroblastoma. Hockey was already woven into the family, with her brother and nephews playing the sport. Around the same time, Andernacht joined an adult beginner hockey league, states the release.The support her family received from the hockey community during Aidan's illness stayed with her. It also encouraged her to become involved in Canadian Cancer Society fundraising activities, looking for ways to turn that community spirit into something lasting. The idea for...