Oilers captain McDavid pledges $100k to Ben Stelter Fund

Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid is doing his part to make sure the memory of Ben Stelter is carried on.

On Thursday, McDavid announced he’d partnered with Edmonton entrepreneur Ashif Mawji, with the pair pledging $100k to the Ben Stelter Fund, a new initiative created in the late Stelter’s honour.

Stelter, an Oilers superfan who passed away this summer after a diagnosis of glioblastoma, a form of brain cancer, had grown close with McDavid and the rest of his hockey team during the 2021-22 season and was a staple through the team’s playoff run.

The Stelter Fund has a goal of $1,000,000, run through the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation.

I am teaming with @ashifmawji and family to pledge $100,000 towards the newly launched Ben Stelter Fund, to get better outcomes for youth that are battling cancer. We challenge all athletes, individuals and businesses to be a part of this!  https://t.co/Wq557jb7rD pic.twitter.com/jVGUZy0i42

— Connor McDavid (@cmcdavid97) December 8, 2022

“The Ben Stelter Fund will focus on four key pillars. The first one is magical experiences for kids battling cancer. The next one is at-home medical equipment for these families. The third one is outcome-based research to help find a cure for Glioblastoma and other types of cancers that kids face. The final one is venture-based philanthropy, which is where we invest in projects, ventures and other initiatives that infuse entrepreneurship to help find a cure for cancer,” said Mawji in a Twitter video.

“When you donate to the Ben Stelter Fund, you’re making a positive difference in a child’s life and the future of pediatric cancer,” the page’s donation reads.

“This is a very tough day for the entire Oilers family, all the fans, but more importantly and most importantly, the family,” McDavid said in an interview with media in the days following Stelter’s passing. “Ben meant so much to myself, to my teammates, and the relationship that kind of developed over the course of a year or so was something that I certainly won’t forget. He was an amazing little guy who lit up every single room he was in. Certainly lit up our room every time he walked in there.

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