WW28 Night raises over $19,600 for Diabetes Canada

On Saturday, February 26, Woolley’s Warriors, in partnership with the Owen Sound Attack, hosted the second WW28 Night at the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre. The night, complete with custom game worn WW28 jerseys auctioned off in support of the cause, raised a total of $19,620.40. All proceeds raised from the night are in support of Diabetes Canada.

The game worn WW28 jerseys, made possible through the Attack’s generosity, were a big hit, raising over $10,000 of the night’s proceeds in a week-long silent auction. The generosity extended right through to the fans in the building, while with only 50 per cent capacity, donated an incredible $4255 through the night’s Bucket Pass alone.

The infamous Chuck-A-Puck and Silent Auction on the concourse were also big contributors to the night’s success.

“It was obviously a very special night for my family and I, along with everybody else involved. I never would have imagined we would have raised as much as we did with everything else going on in the world right now,” Mark Woolley, founder of WW28 and Attack captain, shared. “A big thank you to everybody who makes WW28 possible and especially to the fans who show their continuous support for such a great cause. I’m very grateful I am able to use my platform in the OHL to do my part and try and make a difference in the community.”

The first WW28 Night was held back in November 2019, a few short months after the launch of Woolley’s Warriors. The inaugural event raised over $2,500 and collecting 10 boxes filled of items for Diabetes Canada. Raising almost eight times more this time around proved to almost justify the wait, which came in the form of postponements in 2020 due to COVID-19. 

The night proved to be just as exciting on the ice, with the Attack and the visiting Guelph Storm facing off in an eventual overtime thriller. The Attack emerged with the two points thanks to Sam Sedley netting the winner for a 3-2 final on the board.

Woolley’s Warriors extends a gracious thank-you to all the volunteers, the entire Attack organization, and the fans for making the night such a success – without all of the incredible support received, none of WW28’s efforts would be possible.

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Lace Up for Diabetes with Mark Woolley

On September 27th, join Mark Woolley, Diabetes Canada, and thousands of Canadians in raising awareness and funds with Lace Up for Diabetes! The virtual event encourages participants to complete a virtual 10K – anyway you want! Walk, run, bike, roll, dance… do it your way. Participants are welcome to move through the kilometres in two hours, two days, or two weeks. It’s your 10k! Do it your way.

Help #EndDiabetes and join Mark on your own or as a team!

For more information on the Lace Up For Diabetes event, click here.

To help support the Woolley’s Warriors Lace Up for Diabetes team, visit the WW28 team page here.

Connect with Woolley’s Warriors on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

SERVPRO of Guelph donates $590 to WW28 for Kirwin’s 59 point season

WW28 supporter Barret Kirwin accepts the donation from SERVPRO of Guelph owner Keith MacLeod.

SERVPRO of Guelph pledged $10 for every point recorded by Owen Sound Attack forward Barret Kirwin in support of Woolley’s Warriors, donating a total of $590 on the season. In 62 games throughout the 2019-20 campaign, Kirwin potted 30 goals and 29 assists for 59 points for the Attack.

WW28 would like to extend a big thank-you to SERVPRO of Guelph and owner Keith MacLeod for the generous contribution as Woolley’s Warriors continues to assist the ongoing efforts of Diabetes Canada, and to Kirwin for being a significant supporter right from the very start.

SERVPRO of Guelph:

SERVPRO of Guelph is a trusted leader in the residential and commercial restoration industry. We understand the stress and worry that comes when fire or water damage strikes. Our goal is to help minimize the interruption to your life and quickly make it “Like it never even happened.”

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Mark Woolley receives Owen Sound Attack’s Red Leckie Award

Owen Sound Attack / AttackHockey.com

Mark Woolley is this year’s winner of the Red Leckie Award for the Largest Contribution to the Community & Organization.

Woolley began the year by launching his ‘Woolley’s Warrior’s’ foundation, a non-profit dedicated to raising awareness and support for children living with Type-1 Diabetes. Began with a modest goal of raising money to send children to D-Camp, Woolley’s Warriors took off and by the end of the season raised over $40,000. Full details of Mark’s charity work with Woolley’s Warriors can be found here.

The blueliner from St. Thomas, ON went beyond just raising money, and he invited many ‘Warriors’ with Type 1 Diabetes to attend Attack games and meet with the defenseman afterwards to discuss coping with the disease and how to still live a successful life. Mark was also part of many charity efforts in the community, school visits with the Canadian Mental Health Association and always one of the first to volunteer for events.

Head Coach Alan Letang says: “Mark brings the exact same passion he has on the ice as he does off. He’s a player that comes to the rink everyday wanting to get better and help people around him get better. Off the ice his leadership & selflessness shows by his commitment to Woolley’s Warriors. He’s the perfect example of what our organizations values and the kind of culture we want to build in Owen Sound.”

Mark Woolley is an incredible member of the community and the Attack are proud to honour him with the Red Leckie Award. Last year, the award was shared between Carter Robertson and Andrew MacLean while Ethan Szypula took home the honour in 2018.

Visit attackhockey.com for more.

Connect with Woolley’s Warriors on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

Woolley’s Warriors A Big Hit For Attack D-Man

Owen Sound Attack / AttackHockey.com

Mark Woolley never envisioned what was to come when he launched Woolley’s Warriors last August. If you had told him he’d be sorting and labelling hoodies, making runs to the bank, and figuring out the best methods of distribution, he might be wondering how he’d fit it all in with his busy hockey schedule and a co-op placement at the local fire department. But through it all, the 18-year-old has handled his new foundation with grace beyond his years. In the first six months, Woolley’s Warriors was able to raise over $35,000 for Diabetes Canada with the help of Attack fans and the community at large. Now at the end of the 2019-20 season, with over $40,000 raised to send young children with Type 1 Diabetes to D-Camp, he looks back at it all with a smile.

“The response to Woolley’s Warriors has been outstanding.” Mark says. “From all aspects, including my family, friends, teammates, coaches, the ownership group and the amazing fans here in Owen Sound.” But it’s not just the local fans that have been giving their support. People have reached out from as far as Ottawa with messages explaining what WW means to them. The defenseman says: “It’s exceeded all expectations in every way and none of that would have been possible without the amazing support from everybody involved.”

The money raised has been impressive for Woolley, but he’s doing it for the community. He says the best part of the experience has been giving back to the community and connecting those who live with the same struggle that he does. “Being able to see all the smiles on kids faces that have attended one of our games as a ‘Warrior’ really brings me joy. Seeing the happiness from the kids reminds me every time why I do it.” he says. He knows exactly why it matters so much to him: “These kids need to realize it’s okay to be different and I’m doing as much as I can to prove that to them.” This season Mark has brought ten ‘Warriors’ to games, where he provides tickets for the family and then meets up after the game to chat with the family and how to live with Type 1 Diabetes.

People always say that ‘Hockey Is More Than A Game’. Woolley started the foundation with that in mind, but it wasn’t until things got underway that he really understood what it meant: “Some people don’t understand the opportunity you have while playing in the OHL and I wanted to make the most of my time in the league to make a positive impact in the community. Seeing others so happy just from us giving back to the community really is something special to me.”

The St. Thomas native has one message for those who want to make a difference themselves: “Always put yourself in other peoples shoes. How would it have felt if somebody did something like that for you when you were a kid? Just like giving a kid a high five coming off the ice. It may not seem like that big of a deal, but those small gestures mean everything.”

His Head Coach, Alan Letang, has noticed the impact Woolley brought to Owen Sound: “Mark brings the exact same passion he has on the ice as he does off. He’s a player that comes to the rink everyday wanting to get better and help people around him get better. He sacrifices his body by blocking shots and playing a heavy game.” He adds: “Off the ice his leadership and selflessness shows by his commitment to Woolley’s Warriors. He’s the perfect example of what our organizations values and the kind of culture we want to build in Owen Sound.”

It’s making an impression among his peers, too. Attack captain Aidan Dudas says: “Mark is such an incredible young man, I can’t imagine how hard it can be sometimes to live with diabetes, let alone be a high performance athlete with diabetes, and focus on your own health while giving back to so many kids around Ontario with diabetes. What he has done for Woolley’s Warriors and many kids living with diabetes is incredible, But that is just the type of guy Mark is, he always wants to help others.”

What’s next for Woolley’s Warriors? Mark says: “We’ve got a lot of ideas in our back pockets. Nothing is confirmed right now, but we’ve got a lot of possibilities. We want to get involved with the DSkate program and potentially be a guest at one of those camps There’s lots of things to come for Woolley’s Warriors and I can’t wait to see what the future has in store.”

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