'Everyone's getting honoured': high school homecoming game raises money for CancerCare

The event also raised money with a barbecue, 50/50 draw, and by selling used football jerseys. (Source: Gary Robson, CTV news Winnipeg)

High school students in St. James were raising money for a good cause at their homecoming football game this weekend.

It was the second annual homecoming game fundraiser for the Sturgeon Heights Huskies as they hosted the Miles MacDonell Buckeyes at Sturgeon Heights Collegiate.

The game marked the end of a campaign to raise money for CancerCare Manitoba. Student Payton Zubec said the idea came to her after a Huskies game last year.

"One day after watching one of our games, I noticed a player praying to his dad, and it kind of just hit me - I was like 'this isn't fair, his dad should be here,' so it sparked the idea," she said.

That player had lost his father to cancer, and so Zubec  - the team's student manager – quickly organized a fundraising campaign ahead of last year's homecoming game.

"In those short 10 days we had, we went door to door, we went out to the community, and we raised funds," she said.

The students raised nearly $5,000 for CancerCare last year, so they decided to do it again.

"We just decided 'let's do the same idea, but let's roll bigger,'" said Zubec.

Admission to Saturday's game was by donation, and anyone donating $10 or more was entered into a draw to win prizes donated by local businesses. The event also raised money with a barbecue, 50/50 draw, and by selling used football jerseys.

The home team was victorious as the Huskies defeated the Buckeyes 24 – 0.

Zubec said it was awesome to see the community come together. "We came together as a family to help one another," she said.  "So whether we have parents or family fighting cancer right now, everyone's getting honoured here today."