Theresa Nevills watched the devastating information of the February 10 mass taking pictures in Tumbler Ridge, B.C., from her residence on Vancouver Island, over 1,000 kilometers away. The tragedy struck the small northeast British Columbia neighborhood of about 2,400 residents, leaving Canadians shocked.
“It wasn’t the type of factor you’d ever anticipate from a small-town neighborhood,” Nevills mentioned. “Any Canadian that watched the information would have the identical kind of sharp ache and helplessness as they watched all the things unfolding.”
Nomination to Assist Group Therapeutic
Regardless of having no private ties to Tumbler Ridge, the retired Royal Canadian Air Pressure aviation upkeep superintendent felt pushed to behave. Studying that the area people centre served as a significant gathering spot for residents within the taking pictures’s aftermath, Nevills nominated the city for Kraft’s annual Hockeyville contest after noticing no different entries.
The centre, which incorporates the city’s area, pool, library, and curling rink, grew to become a sacred house. “That is the place all people went to hitch arms, rally one another and be there for one another, maintain one another and get them by way of the primary couple of days of what had occurred,” Nevills defined.
Excessive Stakes of the Hockeyville Prize
The competition affords a grand prize of $250,000 for area enhancements and the chance to host an NHL preseason recreation. Nevills, who joined the RCAF in 1981 and retired in November, drew from her expertise close to Stirling-Rawdon, Ontario, which gained Hockeyville in 2012.
“It simply appeared to me like this was a very golden alternative,” she mentioned. “You hear so many Canadians that actually felt for Tumbler Ridge, and I assumed that perhaps this might be a approach that everybody might assist. Everybody might really feel part of Tumbler Ridge therapeutic.”
Help from Hockey Stars
The nomination has attracted endorsements from outstanding figures, together with Olympic gold medalist and Hockey Corridor of Famer Hayley Wickenheiser. She shared the Tumbler Ridge marketing campaign together with her 55,000 social media followers.
Wickenheiser highlighted Maya Gebala, a taking pictures survivor nonetheless recovering in hospital, who participated in her 2024 WickFest hockey match in Calgary. “I keep in mind it was such an enormous enterprise to fundraise and get to Calgary for that Tumbler Ridge group,” Wickenheiser posted on LinkedIn. “A small city, identical to the place I got here from. I at all times have a gentle spot for these cities.”
Contest Timeline and Group Resilience
Nominations shut on March 1, with provincial and territorial winners introduced March 14, every receiving $50,000. The grand prize winner can be revealed April 4.
Nevills acknowledges a whole bunch of competing communities however believes Tumbler Ridge stands out amid its restoration. Whether or not victorious or not, she admires the residents’ unity. “Rallying behind one another and actually going through the daybreak of a brand new day,” she mentioned. “They’re grieving, however they’re rising collectively, stronger.”
