When it comes to communities, the hockey world is a special one.
Hockey players can always count on one another to come together when one of their own needs some support, and Minnesota Wild defenseman Matt Dumba did just that for a young Forest Lake, MN hockey player.
Kalei Forga is an outstanding hockey player, so much so that she was given the nod tryout for the World Selects in Chamonix team that will play in France for 10 days in April.
The catch? If she wants to go, there’s a $3,700 price tag that comes with the honour.
“I’m like, ‘OK, I’m don’t know how we’re going to pay for this without taking out a second mortgage or something ridiculous like that,’” Kalei’s father, Jaime, told David McCoy of CBS Minnesota, https://twitter.com/DavidMcCoyWCCO “ a few people had suggested a GoFundMe page.”
So they did just that, but a week into the campaign, the Forga family was still well short of their goal.
That was, until Minnesota Wild defenseman Matt Dumba had something to say about it.
Dumba, who has been a pillar on the Wild blue line since 2014, caught wind of Kalei’s story through a Twitter page, Black Girl Hockey Club, that encourages representation in hockey for women of colour.
He was quick to drop $500 to the fundraiser, and maybe more importantly, to share Kalei’s story, which really got the ball rolling on her GoFundMe.
The Forga family is elated to have the support, and mother Michelle said that, “I don’t think I’ve put my phone down all day! Just to refresh and refresh and like tweets and thank people for donating. And yeah, when Matt Dumba did it, I was like, ‘Is that THE Matt Dumba? Like, the real Matt Dumba? That can’t be,’ you know. And then I saw it on Twitter.”
She went on to explain that Dumba’s support would mean more to her daughter than just the money and the exposure.
“I know representation is incredibly important. And for her to see someone to see people that look like her play this game, you can’t ask for anything more”.
Since Dumba’s donation, the GoFundMe has taken off, and Forgas are now trying to fund Kalei’s mom and sister being able to join her on the trip.
And Kalei?
“I would never imagine this happening. I was excited. I didn’t think that at this age I’d be able to go play in France!”
We’ll be on the lookout for Kalei in the 2025 NHL entry draft, but for now, you can find the GoFundMe here to donate to Kalei’s trip.
