Response to Barho charity drive 'overwhelmingly powerful,' says Jill Saulnier

When Halifax Olympian Jill Saulnier heard seven children were killed in a house fire in Halifax last month, she knew she had to do something.

"My dad called me and let me know," she said Sunday from Montreal, where she plays for the Montreal Canadiennesof the CanadianWomen's Hockey League.

"I just really wanted to help out and do whatever I could to help raise some more funds and get the community together."

With the help of two friends, the member of Canada's national women's hockey teamorganized a charity hockey gameand auction at the BMO Centre in Bedford, N.S., for March 16.

Proceeds from the event will go to the Barho family a mother and father who lost seven children in a house fire in Halifax on Feb. 19.

Since the 27-year-old Saulnier, who plays for Montrealin the Canadian Women's Hockey League, spread the word about the event, many people have stepped in to donate items to the auction.

There is going to be a silent auction at the BMO Centre andthere is an online auction happening now. The charity hockey day begins at 3 p.m.

Some of the items up for auction include all-inclusive flight packages to and from the Clarkson Cup, Montreal Canadiens tickets, Toronto Blue Jaystickets, jerseys and hockey sticks, including oneautographed by Sidney Crosby. There is even a teeth-whitening package.

"Honestly, I've had donations from every angle at least five new ones every morning when I wake up," Saulnier.

Saulnier said she's blown away by the response. When she first started putting together the fundraiser, she had hoped toraise between $3,000 and $5,000.

"I was kind of assuming a few thousand was going to come out of my pocket to get things started," Saulnier said.

In addition to the auction items, Saulnier said groups and organizations have come together to buy T-shirts for the event and to create jerseys for the charity hockey game. The ice time at the BMO centre is being paid for by Audi Halifax, she said.

"It's just been overwhelmingly powerful," Saulnier said.

The group that has been helping the Barho parents, Kawthar and Ebraheim, has given the event its blessing.

"When Jill and her team first reached out to us, we were really overwhelmed ... I know they're putting in a ton of work to make this a really successful event and to be really respectful of the family, so we're really happy with everything that's happened to date," said Natalie Horne, the vice-president of the TheHantsEast Assisting Refugees Society.

Between the society's online fundraiser and a crowdfunding page, more than $700,000 has been raised for the family.

"When you think about long-term care, $700,000 seems like a lot of money. But when you think about long-term care providing for Kawthar for the rest of her life, it's not as much as you would think,"said Horne

"If you divide that over 20 years that's 35,000 a year. That would be the equivalent to an average salary. I don't really see excess money per se, but that will really be Kawthar's decision at the end of the day.

"We also have to take into account if Ebraheim survives he's going to need pretty extensive medical treatment and perhaps care beyond what Kawthar is able to provide herself."

Ebraheimunderwent his third round of skin grafts earlier this month. He was severely burned in the fire.

Horne says Kawthar has been by her husband's side at the hospital since the fire. She said Kawthar is aware of all the groups working to help her family.

"She's very thankful for the outpouring of support," said Horne.