Colt's Game - The Lion Heart Initiative

Beyond excited to announce we will be holding our 2nd annual Colt’s Game on December 2nd at 3:15PM against Western!

2 summers ago through what I think was a bit of both fate and luck, I was fortunate enough to meet a young boy by the name of Colton Hagarty while serving him and his dad at a restaurant (JOEY Yorkdale). His father and I connected well during the meal, and we exchanged information to discuss things like school and work afterwards as we attended the same university and had similar interests. But something stood out about Colton that triggered a lot of different emotions and ideas for myself, and was a driving force for what I wanted to pursue with The Lion Heart Initiative. After dinner and some reflection, I knew I wanted to create something that would enable more purposeful relationships with people and groups I wasn’t typically exposed to, and allow myself, as well as others to see what true strength, courage, and friendship looked like.

A bit about Colton: Colton Hagarty’s story is one of inspiration and strength and he’s just getting started. He was born with a defect in his spine which left him wearing multiple back braces from 2 weeks old to keep him safe. At 4 years old, Colton endured 10 hours of surgery at Sickkids to rebuild his spine, including rods and screws and bone grafts from his hip and ribs. He’s continuing to learn to walk and spends countless hours working hard on his therapy at Holland Bloorview Hospital. Colton celebrated his 7th birthday on Feb 2nd this year, is now an avid sit skier and aspires to be a Paralympic athlete in sledge hockey one day. His story is one of perseverance and courage and proves there is no such thing as boundaries.

As mentioned, the M.O behind The Lion Heart Initiative is to uncover true strength, courage, and friendship, which Colton is the epitome of. Although he’s only 7, Colton is a hero to me, and has been such a driving force in why The Lion Heart Initiative was started. I've been so blessed to see first hand how he lives his life through things like his fundraising efforts for Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, playing sledge hockey with him for the first time, seeing him complete his first 5K event with his dad, and so much more. As of now, The Lion Heart Initiative works with kids from Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, SageCare Memory Care, Boys and Girls Club Jane and Finch, and the Down Syndrome Association of Toronto. My relationship to Colton, seeing how he lives his life, and everything I’ve learned from him has been so vital in building all these meaningful connections.

 

Leading up to the game we are running a GoFundMe with a goal of $1500 to donate to the Brampton Cruisers Sledge Hockey Organization where Colton will be playing this season for the first time. Cruisers Sports is an organization with a goal of enhancing the quality of life for individuals with physical disabilities through sport and recreational activities. Any funds exceeding this goal will be donated to Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital. On top of this, we are aiming to donate a percentage of all ticket sales for the game to Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital. We are so proud of Colton, and so thankful to learn from his story.

 

Any donation, or support in any form is appreciated.