Bruce Hasbargan, President of Bemidji Youth Hockey Association, (left) was recently presented with a donation check for $2,938.74 by Ralph Gracie American Legion Post #14 officer, Jim Haskell (right). 

The Post concluded a substantial project-Help Humboldt Heal (HHH), responding to the extreme tragedy experienced by the Humboldt, Saskatchewan community when 16 of the Humboldt Broncos Junior Hockey Team died and another 13 were badly injured in an April 6, 2018, bus accident.

As a gesture of goodwill to the entire community of Humboldt, the Humboldt Broncos Junior Hockey Team and the Humboldt, Saskatchewan, AA Pee Wee players, the Ralph Gracie American Legion Post #14 of Bemidji raised funds from many generous individuals and businesses and paid the way for Humboldt Minor Hockey to send its AA Pee Wee team to the Paul Bunyan International Hockey Tournament  (PBIHT) this past December.  This was felt to be the best way to show support in a tangible way as that tournament is probably the best one put on in Bemidji.  The Post worked on the project called “Help Humboldt Heal” (HHH) since April 2018, in conjunction with the PBIHT Tournament Committee.

The donation represents half of what was left from the fundraising after paying the way for the Humboldt Pee Wee group to be at the tournament and a like amount was sent to the Humboldt Minor Hockey Association in accordance with the resolution of the Post when the project started.