Humboldt Broncos will still accept donations after GoFundMe ends

CAPTION: The president of the Humboldt Broncos says the GoFundMe page dedicated to crash victims’ families will close Wednesday and the money will be transferred to a new memorial fund. The campaign has raised over $12 million. (April 17, 2018) 1. SOUNDBITE: Kevin Garinger, Humboldt Broncos president PLACELINE: Saskatoon CREDIT: The Canadian Press STORYLINE: The GoFundMe page dedicated to the Humboldt Broncos, believed to be the largest of its kind in Canadian history, will remain open for two more days before being transferred to a newly created memorial fund, the team's officials announced Monday. More than 130,000 individuals and businesses from Canada and other countries have donated between $5 and $50,000 to the GoFundMe campaign, called Funds for Humboldt Broncos. The campaign was started by Humboldt resident Sylvie Kellington after the horrific bus crash earlier this month, which killed 16 players and staff. In nine days, the online campaign has raised more than $12 million. Humboldt Broncos president Kevin Garinger announced at a news conference in Saskatoon that the campaign will remain open until midnight Wednesday, at which point all funds will be transferred to the new Humboldt Broncos Memorial Fund. The $12 million raised will serve its intended purpose of paying for expenses of the victims' families, Garinger said, adding that it's too soon to give a more specific breakdown of the way the funds will be allocated. "Sylvie was hoping to raise $5,000 to maybe buy coffee and support maybe parking, and that sort of thing, to help families," he said. "It of course grew much larger than that." Garinger also said the team will continue to accept donations through another new organization, the Humboldt Strong Community Foundation, which he said will "support Humboldt Broncos players, employees, families and volunteers, as well as first responders and emergency services personnel, teams, athletes, related organizations and communities affected by the crash."