Minor hockey team tours labs after raising $100K for cancer research

Chevrolet Good Deed champions visit labs at the University of Windsor

to thank the Lakeshore Lightning for their efforts to raise $100,000 toward cancer research.

Do-gooders raising money for local cancer research got a closer look at the kind of work their efforts could support during a campus visit Thursday.

WE-SPARK Health Institute invited the winners of the national Chevrolet Good Deeds Cup to tour cancer research labs at the University of Windsor and meet the scientists working behind the scenes as a thank-you for their community contributions.

The Lakeshore Lightning hockey team was welcomed by university president Robert Gordon and Dora Cavallo-Medved, interim director of WE-Spark, to the Essex Centre of Research (CORe), where they toured five cancer research labs and received some WE-Spark swag.

“WE-Spark invited the girls team to campus to congratulate and celebrate with them,” says Cavallo-Medved.

“We had them tour our cancer research labs so that they could see first-hand the impact of their efforts to support cancer research and how it is benefiting the whole community. Both hockey and research demand dedication, adaptability, and a passion for pushing limits. We were impressed by their collective efforts and how their win brought national attention to local cancer research.”

The Good Deeds Cup is awarded to the minor hockey team that makes the biggest impact by sharing their acts of kindness on social media, helping spread positivity, teamwork, and community spirit.

Lakeshore Lightning submitted 1,288 good deeds to win.

Members’ efforts included collecting mittens, jackets, snow pants and other winter essentials for those in need. The team also volunteered at a food bank, wrote letters to seniors in care facilities, delivered treats to emergency service workers, assisted at local schools, and organized two fundraisers.

The team chose to donate its $100,000 winnings to the Cancer Research Collaboration Fund and the Play for a Cure tournament, which supports local cancer research projects through the WE-Spark grants program. Jeff Casey, Harvey and Elaine Snaden, who lead the Play for a Cure tournament, joined the team along with their parents.

Courtesy: https://www.uwindsor.ca/dailynews/2025-04-25/minor-hockey-team-tours-labs-after-raising-100k-cancer-research