In 2014, Sasha Podolchak and Danielle Grundy, two women from Kelowna, B.C., who were positively impacted by the sport of hockey throughout their lives, started the process of creating the Grindstone Award Foundation. They wanted to create the opportunity for others to enjoy and experience the game that had provided them with so much, and they recognized the barriers faced by many in trying to play the sport they loved. The high costs of hockey make it inaccessible for many families. It didn’t take long before Grindstone took off and became a national movement, and it’s continuing to have a ripple effect on families across Canada.

The Grindstone Award Foundation’s mission is to provide opportunities to young female hockey players under the age of 19 who have a desire to play, but are unable to for financial reasons. We do this by providing financial grants of $500 to families who apply, and who qualify for assistance based on their financial status. These grants are used to pay for hockey registration fees. We want to reach as many families as possible across Canada to ensure that the game of hockey remains accessible to as many people who want to play as possible. We want the diversity of Canada to be reflected on the ice in every arena across the country. 

To date, Grindstone has provided over 200 grants to female hockey players across Canada.

That equals over $100,000 in financial aid that we have provided to girls who want to play the game they love, which means they’re also learning valuable life lessons gained from participating in team sport. In addition, we have formed strategic partnerships with organizations such as the NHLPA, the Vancouver Canucks, TELUS, Scotiabank, and several other organizations and corporations. These incredibly rewarding partnerships have allowed us to continue to grow our footprint and our impact across the country. We are also working hard on our outreach from coast-to-coast to ensure we have a presence at events and tournaments in the hockey community, so that we can grow awareness of our charity and be top of mind for those that need us the most. We’re extremely passionate about what we do and want to help fuel that same passion in the young women we are helping with opportunities to pick up a stick and step onto the ice.

Grindstone continues to work hard year-round to grow our charity’s ability to help as many applicants as we can. We are currently working on executing a strategic plan that has been created with the goal of maximizing our impact. We remain plugged in to several conversations within the hockey community and beyond to ensure we are building our reputation across the country and reaching as many families that may need our assistance as possible.

Grindstone’s goal is to turn no deserving applicant away. In order to achieve this, we need to continue to grow our partnerships and strengthen relationships with donors.

You can help by donating financially or in other ways. Check out our website for more information: https://grindstoneaward.com/. We’re incredibly grateful for all of the support we receive from partners at all levels. Every little bit helps to get more girls into the game we love

Stay up to date on Grindstone’s social media channels for the latest news. 

You can find them on Facebook, X (formerly known as Twitter), Instagram and TikTok by searching @GrindstoneAward 

#HelpHerPlay