Minnesota Wild defenseman Matt Dumba launched a fundraiser on Thursday to support the Lake Street Council and its initiative to rebuild the area of Minneapolis that has been destroyed in the wake of the George Floyd riots.
As part of the initiative, Dumba announced via a video on his Twitter account that he will be matching donations made through RebuildMinnesota.com up to an amount of $100,000.
Over the last couple weeks I’ve talked to family and friends about what we can do to make a difference. Thank you so much to everyone who has helped out! It took all of us to make this happen and this is just the start! Full video in Link! https://t.co/jyR0ouR6na pic.twitter.com/15TFgSF4mN
— Matt Dumba (@matt_dumba) June 18, 2020
“Change isn’t supposed to be comfortable,” Dumba says in the video. “I wish I could be with you guys helping support the cause, and cleaning up in the aftermath, but I can’t. And like some of you, I feel helpless. Being a professional athlete has given me a platform and I have chose to use it to amplify your voices and help the community.”
As part of the fundraiser, the first 1,000 donors will receive a custom George Floyd tribute t-shirt and all will be entered for a chance to win a pair of custom Air Jordans designed by Dumba.
Another pair of donors (one from Canada and one from the United States) will spend an afternoon with Dumba complete with dinner and some time on the ice.
Dumba has been a big part of the efforts since the killing of George Floyd on Memorial Day, joining a group of players to form the Hockey Diversity Alliance earlier this month. He also spoke with NBC Sports Mike Tirico on how he experienced racism growing up in Calgary, Alberta, Canada and using his platform for good.
Eradicating racism. Making sure that hockey is for everyone.@matt_dumba has experienced discrimination first hand, and now he's a founding member of the Hockey Diversity Alliance. He's ready to take the mantle as a leader toward driving meaningful change. pic.twitter.com/TXYuYs5oq7
— NBC Sports Hockey (@NBCSportsHockey) June 10, 2020
“I think we have an opportunity to do big things in our sport and it will help a lot of kids,” Dumba said. “One of our main focus is just eradicating racism and making sure the game is for everyone.”
