(March 25, 2022) – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Grindstone Award Foundation is thrilled to announce that Hockey Hall of Fame inductee and winner of 4 Olympic gold medals, Jayna Hefford, has signed on to represent the charity as an Ambassador. Hefford will lend her expertise to Grindstone through her depth of knowledge to raise awareness and grow the charity’s impact in Canada.
“We are incredibly excited to welcome Jayna to the team. She is a catalyst for change in women’s professional hockey and has inspired so many girls to play the game,”
– Grindstone President, Laura Oliver.
During her legendary playing career, Hefford won four gold medals and one silver at the Winter Olympic Games. She also won seven gold medals at the IIHF Women’s World Championships and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2018. Currently, Hefford serves as the Lead Operations Consultant for the Professional Women’s Hockey Players’ Association.
“I am proud to be an ambassador for the Grindstone Award Foundation, to help make hockey more accessible for young girls, who are challenged by the financial barriers that exist,” said Hefford. “I know the impact hockey has had on my life, so I am determined to help provide the opportunity for others to participate as well.”
Hefford is Grindstone’s newest ambassador and will work closely with the charity’s board on promoting Grindstone as a resource to help more young girls in Canada play hockey. Both Hefford and Grindstone recognize the importance of supporting young female hockey players and their families so that the game can continue to grow and provide equitable opportunities for accessibility to all who wish to play the game. With the female game growing rapidly in Canada, fueling the pipeline of young talent has never been more important, and Grindstone’s mandate is to support a diverse group of applicants with the financial support they need to play the game.
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About Grindstone Award Foundation:
The Grindstone Award Foundation is an official Canadian Registered Charity that started in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. They are among the first charities of their kind, in North America, to solely support girls and women in hockey. As the female game continues to grow at both the grassroots and professional levels, Grindstone recognizes the importance of investing in the female game to reach as many players as possible and to produce a strong pipeline. Their heart is to provide support to the community by addressing the needs of young, female hockey players who have a desire to play ice hockey but are unable to for financial reasons. The charity was started in 2014. The foundation, which is a volunteer-led team, sponsored their first girl in 2015, and in 2020, surpassed the milestone of sponsoring over 100 girls to play hockey. For more information, please visit: https://grindstoneaward.com/
