SchoonderwoerdL-R: Shane Van Allen of Van Allen Insurance Inc., stands alongside Heather and Joe Schoonderwoerd in the Van Allen Insurance Inc. office in Listowel. December 16, 2024. (Photo by Ryan Drury)
Midwestern

Local business helps secure grant for CS8 Memorial Outdoor Rink

A local business has secured a grant to help a great local cause.

Shane Van Allen of Van Allen Insurance Inc. recently applied to CommonWell Mutual Insurance Group's Learning and Engagement Accelerator (LEAF) Fund, which supports projects that build more connected communities.

Van Allen thought why not try and secure funding for the CS8 Memorial Outdoor Rink in Mitchell. The rink is in memory of Carter Schoonderwoerd, who sadly took his own life in June of 2021. Carter was a beloved local hockey player, playing for the GOJHL's Stratford Warriors, St. Marys Lincolns and a game for the Listowel Cyclones. He was a youth product of the Huron-Perth Lakers AAA minor hockey program and Mitchell Minor Hockey Association.

The Mitchell native was selected in the 11th round by the OHL's Peterborough Petes in the 2018 Priority Selection Draft.

Carter's death on June 7, 2021 reverberated throughout the entire Mitchell community and the surrounding region, particularly through the hockey world. Tributes and donations in Carter's memory have been consistent and ongoing over the last few years, including the most recent Mitchell U13 hockey tournament.

Van Allen says it was a huge pleasure to work to secure the grant for $20,000 for the CS8 rink, and when the rink is done, he wants people to remember that CS8 represents that it's okay to not be okay and mental health is important.

"We're blessed to have been able to help with this. We want people, when they see the CS8 logo, to know that it's okay to ask for help, and to know that you can ask for help from your friends, your family. Whenever you see a CS8 sticker, a t-shirt, a sweatshirt, whatever it may be, to know that it symbolizes that there is help out there," Van Allen said.

The LEAF grants through Commonwell are part of the company's CARE philanthropy program.  CARE stands for Create A Ripple Effect, something Van Allen truly believes will happen with this grant.

Van Allen says the grant they secured is for $20,000. Joe and Heather Schoonderwoerd, Carter's parents, are working to have the CS8 Memorial Outdoor Rink ready for Mitchell's Keterson Park next fall. It will be housed in the Tim Horton's Pavilion. They've raised over $70,000 of the roughly $115,000 goal to make the rink a reality.

The rink will be a 50-by-66-foot facility complete with boards, glass, netting, mats, and benches.

Joe says they are thrilled to receive this grant funding alongside other funds that they've been raising in memory of Carter. That all started shortly after Carter's passing with events like auctions, ball tournaments and golf tournaments, too.

"So we started to get a little egg of money and the next question was 'Where can we put this, to be a good benefit to all the kids in the area?'" Joe shared.

With all the support they've received and continued to receive, Joe says it's clear his son's memory lives on.

"Ya know, when you get down to it, we're afraid of losing Carter's memory and that's probably everybody's worry to anyone who's lost a loved one. But what this shows to us is that his memory is still fresh and there's a lot of people still impacted," Joe said proudly.

Ultimately, Joe and Heather want everyone to understand that it's okay to ask for help if you need it, and that needs to be top of mind for everyone.

"We wanna promote the idea of saving a life and saving somebody, through what we've had to live through. If we can save one person, through all of the work that we've done, that would be all the satisfaction I need," added Joe.

In 2025, fundraising will continue, with the now annual CS8 Snow-Pitch tournament coming likely in February. The golf tournament should be returning this year, as well. If you wish to make donations toward the rink, email Beth Schoonderwoerd (kbschoon23@gmail.com) for financial contributions.

Read More Local Stories

Hockey puck. © Can Stock Photo Inc. / funix

Scoreboard, Jan 11

The Montreal Canadiens defeated the Washington Capitals in Friday night hockey action.