Staal Foundation Open built on desire to give back to the community

Thunder Bay’s hockey players have been great at giving back to their community.

There have been Stanley Cup visits and hospital tours, celebrity skates and charity golf tournaments, all raising money and morale around the city.

Last year the Staal brothers – Eric, Marc, Jordan and Jared – decided to take things one step further, forming the Staal Family Foundation and attaching its name to the local Mackenzie Tour – PGA Tour Canada event, being staged this week for the second time at Whitewater Golf Club.

It’s something the family had talked about for some time before making it official last year.

“At the beginning you’re trying to establish yourself in your mind and I think it was always in the back of our minds to start something up,” said Marc Staal, a defenceman with the New York Rangers.

“This event kind of came at us simultaneously with the start of our foundation and it fit pretty perfectly. Last year we were thrilled with the way everything went. We put our name on it, but a lot of people did the work and made it go so smooth and raised a bunch of money. Hopefully we can raise some more this year.”

Donations to the foundation are used to help families with children battling cancer.

It’s a disease that hits especially close to home for eldest brother Eric.

“My wife’s sister passed away at a young age from a rare liver cancer and it was tough,” he said. “For us as family now to be able to start this, raise money and give back to families with children, it’s awesome and something that we are very proud of.

“Hopefully it will continue to get bigger and raise more as the years go on and we’ll be able to give more back.”

That’s what it all about, helping people, said Jordan Staal, Eric’s teammate with the Carolina Hurricanes.

“It took us a while to get it off the ground, and then when this came along it was the perfect way to get our name out there and get the foundation out there,” Jordan said. “To be honest I didn’t think it was going to be as big as it is and how it’s going and how great it’s been for our foundation. So we’re really happy with everything.”

For more on the Foundation and its work, visit www.staalfoundation.org.