About Hope, The Hope Centre, And Julia’s Hope Cup

The pond-hockey action was breathtaking. This was at Julia’s Hope Cup Saturday. It was the first time since before COVID that games were played on Chippawa Park pond ice. The ice age had returned! Well, that’s what imagination will do for you.

I watched the first games of the day looking across the pond in the direction of the park building. What a view! It was so good to hear “blades of steel” slicing into the fresh ice as skaters raced toward the net a few feet from where I stood.

The hockey tournament was one part of this glorious initiative that was in its 14th year as Julia’s Hope Cup. It also offered a silent auction, half-and-half draw, arts and crafts for kids, online fundraising, and food, delicious food, all donated by local businesses and organizations. If you went home hungry, blame yourself.

I checked online Sunday for a fund-raising update. The total stood at $62,148, the goal had been $60,000. The campaign still has some time to go, it ends Feb. 28. To make a donation: https://www.juliashopecup.ca/

About Hope, The Hope Centre and Julia’s Hope Cup:

Guest Post courtesy of Joe Barkovich

In our home town, if it’s February, it’s time for Julia’s Hope Cup.

That realization sent me to the Turner family home and a visit with Tina Turner in the days leading up to the big event. I wanted to sound her out about hope, The Hope Centre and Julia’s Hope Cup.

This year’s is the 14th annual. Based in Chippawa Park, the popular fundraiser is named after Julia Turner, a daughter of Tina and Paul. Julia passed December 23, 2011, aged 15.

“It’s certainly not fizzling out,” Tina says about the event. “It’s actually getting bigger.”

“It all started with a hockey game,” Tina says.

Paul with some long-time friends organized the hockey fundraiser about four years before it evolved into Julia’s Hope Cup. Old-fashioned pond hockey, a hallowed Canadian tradition. Canadian heritage at its best, some would say.

They grew up in the Chippawa Park neighbourhood and the pond in winter was their home away from home, the site of pond hockey games after school and on weekends. For the tight-knit group of friends it was iconic, and still is. No surprise then that community-minded Paul turned to it to raise funds through a tournament for Hope Centre, a favourite local cause. The tournament became Julia’s Hope Cup in February, 2012.

“I remember the first one so well,” Tina says.“There was a huge blizzard that day. I remember saying, ‘I don’t want to go… why would people (because of the weather) come? But people came. Tons of people.”

The Turners attributed the turnout in large measure to Julia.

“We felt Julia struck a chord with a lot of people,” Tina says.

She was known for her inclusiveness.

“Everybody was her friend. Not just the cool kids, not just the jocks.”

Roots of support run deep here. Folks quickly bonded around Julia and the fund-raising initiative, Tina says. To this day they still attend to have a part in celebrating her life.

“That’s what people in Welland are like. Home-town loving, caring. They continue to come out every year.”

Julia was known for her compassion, selflessness and inclusivity, Tina says. When in Grade 4 at St. Kevin School, she was voted by fellow students as class Peacemaker. At her high school, Notre Dame, she was involved in clubs like fair trade and social climate. She volunteered at St. Kevin parish’s Harvest Kitchen and at Hope Centre, helping serve meals to the needy.

“That kind of outreach was important to her,” Tina says.

She came by it naturally. I like to think her caring nature was part of her DNA. Both Tina and Paul are well known for their community activism. Tina was part of the Harvest Kitchen team at St. Kevin parish several years, she now volunteers as a team member at Holy Trinity’s daily breakfast program; Paul has organized numerous community outreaches, works to find solutions to homelessness in Welland and is on Hope Centre’s board. Consider this a short list.

In addition to Julia and “unbelieveable” hometown backing, Tina also attributes the fundraiser’s success to Paul’s commitment.

“He works very hard it,” she says. “He does a lot of promoting. He meets with people. He’s tireless. It’s on his mind all the time.”

Hope Centre is a key social agency here in the city, Tina says.

It celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2024, longevity which “speaks loudly” to its work and success in the community, she says.

“It’s a place of hope,” Tina says. “When you don’t have hope you have nothing. You must have hope, and Hope Centre helps give people hope.”

She shared a story about a single-parent family going through hard times because of unemployment. Hope Centre staff worked with the single mom, provided counselling and other resources and eventually helped her find a job. Then not long after, the family found housing.

She believes Hope Centre lives up to its name: a place of hope. She shudders to think what things would be like without it.

Fundraising is an important key to its success here in Welland, Tina says.

Money raised this Saturday will go towards Hope Centre’s food security programs, including their food bank and community lunch program. According to Hope Centre statistics, in 2024, it had more than 24,000 visits to the food bank and served more than 35,000 take-out lunches to help the most vulnerable in our community.

But the local situation continues to be grim: more people than ever are facing food insecurity with more than 1 in 10 Wellanders accessing the food bank, it says,

Last year, the fund-raising goal for Julia’s Hope Cup and Carnival was $50,000. The event raised over $60,000 with all proceeds going to Hope Centre. This year’s goal is $60,000.

Online donating implemented a few years ago has boosted fundraising, Tina says. “They’ve helped the cause for sure.” So too have business and corporate donations which have been growing. (To donate online: https://www.juliashopecup.ca/ )

Unlike how she felt 14 years ago for the inaugural Julia’s Hope Cup, Tina’s looking forward to this Saturday.

“Come out and see what’s going on in your community. Let’s not forget this is a family event. Bring the kids, enjoy the activities like face painting, enjoy the food, the food is free. Walk around the silent auction table and see who’s made the donations, people should be aware of this and how generous people are.”

Over the years the pond hockey tournament and Julia’s Hope Cup together have raised about $500,000 for Hope Centre. the Turners told me.

Will history repeat itself this weekend? Are we in for another big snow dump just like that weekend 14 years ago?

In our home town, just make sure you’re among tons of people expected for Julia’s Hope Cup and Carnival!

EVENT SCHEDULE:

9:30 am – 11:30 am Kids Hockey Pick-Up Tournament

10:00 am – 2:30 pm Kids Activities

10:00 am – 2:30 pm Silent Auction

11:30 am – 2:30 pm Food will be provided

12:30 am – 2:30 pm Adult Hockey 3on3 Tournament

To learn more visit https://www.juliashopecup.ca/eventdetails

FOOD DONORS TAKING PART AT JULIA’S HOPE CUP:

Trapper’s Sports Bar, soup;