Alum of the month: Davidson continues passion for helping others

Jefferson Hagen, MacEwan Athletics

EDMONTON – It seems like ancient history when international travel was commonplace.

But for Kennedy Davidson, a trip she took two-and-a-half years ago still seems like yesterday.

In the spring of 2018, she travelled to Arusha, Tanzania with Griffins women's hockey teammates Karlie Bell and Jessi Rampton.

While many trek there to see Mt. Kilimanjaro, the Griffins were bound for Hockey Hearts School & Dormitory – a facility built by her family to help disadvantaged kids receive an education.

To say the trip was unforgettable and life changing would be an understatement.

While there, they had a chance to meet the kids and give them Griffins jerseys and other gifts.

"(I learned) that we're super privileged over here," said Davidson of the trip. "If the kids get a pair of socks, it's the best day ever."

Hockey Hearts School & Dormitory in Arusha, Tanzania was built by the family of former Griffins women's hockey player Kennedy Davidson (Courtesy, Kennedy Davidson).

In Arusha, the cost of an education is often too great for families to bear, meaning many children go uneducated. So, the work Hockey Hearts is engaged in helps change the narrative on the children's futures.

"When we were there, there were two kids who got sponsored, so we got to take them to the private school," explained Davidson. "When kids get sponsored, it's the best day ever for them because an education goes a long way in Tanzania.

"If you don't know how to speak English, it's really hard to get a well-paying job in Arusha," she continued. "If you have that education and you know how to speak English, it opens up a lot of doors to have a better life in Tanzania."

Hockey Hearts is currently in search of more sponsors to help send Tanzanian children to school. Kennedy's mother Jody has undergone several recent fund-raising efforts.

"Christmas is usually the busiest time for my mom because the kids start school in January, so she's trying to get as many of the older kids sponsored to go to private school," said Davidson. "With the current pandemic, there haven't been as many sponsors and there have been some who've dropped out, so she's had to find new sponsors for about five or six kids."

Sponsorship costs approximately $900 per kid a year, give or take the exchange rate into U.S. dollars. For all the details, check out hockeyheartsfoundation.com.

Henry, Joan and Gracious are three children in need of sponsors ahead of the new school year at Hockey Hearts School & Dormitory in Arusha, Tanzania (Courtesy, Kennedy Davidson).

For now, the initiative is primarily run by Jody Davidson, but Kennedy has inherited her mom's passion for the project.

"I would like to go there as much as I can," she said. "To see her so passionate about something, it would be nice to eventually take over for her when she can't go over there anymore."

Giving back to others was instilled in Davidson, not only by her family but also through being a member of the Griffins women's hockey team (2015-20) where community service is one of the three pillars of a MacEwan student-athlete.
"You always just want to help out people less fortunate; if you're in that privileged life you should try to help out as much as possible," she said. "If the Griffins have taught me anything, it's to always give back."

Beyond the Hockey Hearts initiative, for Kennedy, that's been through hockey.

Since graduating from the Griffins as a fifth-year athlete last March and joining the alumni ranks, she has spent the fall semester finishing up her MacEwan Bachelor of Arts – Political Science degree remotely from her family's home in Fox Creek, Alta. In her spare time, Kennedy has been coaching minor hockey.

"I'm coaching the U7s in Fox right now," she explained. "I didn't think I'd like coaching such a small age, but it's been so much fun. They're just so excited to be on the ice every day."

Traditionally, there are way more boys than girls taking up the game at such a young age. But Fox Creek is showing the opposite trend. Davidson notes more than 75 per cent of the players she's coaching are female.

It's easy to correlate those numbers to a hockey camp the Griffins and NAIT Ooks put on for female players in Fox Creek when they visited the northern Alberta community for an exhibition game prior to the 2019-20 season.

"The U7s, there's about 16 girls and five boys," she said. "I think it was kind of a snowball effect from the hockey camp my mom and (Griffins head coach Lindsay McAlpine) put on. Usually it's the opposite – 16 guys and five girls."

In fact, in her youth, Davidson noted her a couple of female friends were the only girls in their age group playing hockey in Fox Creek.

"It's crazy to see," she said. "Growing up, I always had to get changed in the custodian's room or the bathroom with the boys teams. So it's nice to see more girls joining and potentially there could be a girls hockey team in Fox Creek if the numbers keep up.

"It's just crazy to see such a small town have so many girls interested in hockey, that we were able to grow the game in a small town in Northern Alberta."

Kennedy Davidson takes a shot against Olds' Payton Bowen during a game last season - her fifth and final campaign with the Griffins (Joel Kingston photo).

Coaching hasn't always been easy – especially with kids just learning how to skate, let alone play hockey – but it has been rewarding.  

"My main role the first few weeks of hockey was just teaching the kids how to stand up off the ice," said Davidson. "It's crazy to see how much the kids learn in just one ice session. It's just been super rewarding to see the kids and see how much fun they're having on the ice."

Who knows? One day some of those kids might enjoy the success she has. Davidson logged many key minutes on the blueline of a Griffins team that captured three-straight Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference championships – (and was one win away from a fourth-straight before the 2019-20 season was cancelled due to COVID-19) – during her tenure.

As she prepares to graduate from MacEwan this month, the memories of being a Griffin will stick with Davidson forever.

"It was the best experience," she said. "I actually miss going to the rink every day. It was just a super awesome experience. I don't think I would have had as much fun in university if I hadn't played on a sports team.

"You're not always going to agree with people and there are bumps in the road, but the people you surround yourself with help you along the way."