For the past eight years, consumer packaged goods company Kraft has operated a program called Kraft Hockeyville, which aims to inspire Canadian communities to share their passion for hockey and support community hockey organizations financially.
This year, the brand teamed with former National Hockey League great Joe Nieuwendyk to help improve the Luther Vipond arena in Whitby, Ontario, home to Nieuwendyk’s hockey beginnings.
Kraft Hockeyville asked the local girls’ team what they would like to see improved at Vipond. Overwhelmingly the girls wanted to update the locker room. And so, unbeknownst to the girls, a team of Kraft Hockeyville and Whitby community workers began working on renovations including a fresh coat of paint, safe places to keep belongings and updated showers.
Here’s a video overviewing the project and showing the girls’ gleeful surprise:
Of his participation in the project, Nieuwendyk said:
“My community arena meant the world to me while I was growing up. It’s where I made some of my closest friends, learned to face challenges and overcome failures and where my community came together and cheered each other on. Local arenas make an immeasurable impact. That’s why programs like Kraft Hockeyville are so important.”
As part of the program, Kraft Hockeyville, working with the NHL and the National Hockey League Players’ Association, is seeking nominations from communities for another rink renovation and is offering a grand prize of hosting an NHL pre-season game and $100,000 of renovation. A second prize will award another community $100,000 for renovations and eight third prizes will award communities $25,000.
Nominations will be accepted through the Kraft Hockeyville site, and the project is being promoted with the hashtags #KHV2015 and #KraftHockeyville across Kraft Hockeyville social media channels including Facebook and Twitter.
It’s 2015 and #KraftHockeyville is back! Nominations start today at http://t.co/9stPRfLDrE pic.twitter.com/2KSU2xKOP6 — Kraft Hockeyville (@hockeyville) January 1, 2015
Catch @SNHockeyCentral tonight at 6:30pm EST as Joe Nieuwendyk visits his home rink for a very special surprise. pic.twitter.com/KjIbHjao3F — Kraft Hockeyville (@hockeyville) January 10, 2015
The NHL is lending support, as well, on its Twitter account:
Combine Joe Nieuwendyk, his hometown and the spirit of @Hockeyville. You'll get this: http://t.co/SMt4cfJCrI pic.twitter.com/OrG9wxKpcN — NHL (@NHL) January 13, 2015
This year, for the first time, the program is extending into U.S. Communities south of the Canadian border which can nominate themselves for a chance to be the first Kraft Hockeyville USA. That effort has its own separate promotional efforts on the brand’s Kraft Hockeyville U.S. Twitter and Facebook pages.
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