Haiti vs Molson Canadian Hockey House

Ever since I heard the announcement of Molson Canadian Hockey House in Vancouver for the Olympics, I’ve been trying to figure out a way to get there. When I first looked at the ticket prices they were way out of my price range. I had already spent so much money on Olympic tickets, not to mention all of the other costs associated with this trip, that it seemed impossible. I really wanted to take my younger brother to Molson Canadian Hockey House at some point during our Olympic trip. I figured it might be the one thing he would actually be excited about. I was also interested in checking it out, just to see what it was all about.
I gave up on the idea until last week. Fan zone ticket prices started to be sold at a reduced rate. It was becoming slightly possible that I could actually buy them. At the same time, I was wrestling with the idea of how I could give money to Haiti. I am so heartbroken to see what has happened to that country and its people as a result of the earthquake. Watching the news about it makes me teary eyed, not only for the people in Haiti but for their relatives here in Canada, anxiously awaiting news. I had resigned myself to the fact that I wasn’t in a position now to donate money to this worthy cause. I am covering the cost of our trip to the Olympics all on my own and it has definitely been a stretch. I couldn’t see that I had any money to spare right now.

Then I came to my senses and realized if I could consider spending money on tickets to Molson Canadian Hockey House, I could donate to Haiti. I decided instead of buying the tickets I would donate the money to help the people in Haiti. All the money I would have spent on tickets to the Hockey House will be donated to the Canadian Red Cross. I can’t afford to do it all at once so it will happen in instalments. I don’t think I could have lived with myself if I had gone through with purchasing tickets and not have given anything to charity. Right now those people don’t even have a home to live in. I’m not going to die if I don’t make it to some place in Vancouver. Those people will die if they do not have water, food, shelter or medical attention.

I am not in any way saying that everyone else should donate to Haiti instead of buying tickets to the Hockey House or any other events. I think it will be a great place to hang out and make friends at the Olympics. I have decided to do without it, to spend my money elsewhere because for me I feel that is the right thing to do. I want to show people that money can be found somewhere if you are willing to do without some things.

For example, if you buy coffee everyday and spend $1.50, make your coffee at home and save that money. In a month you will have $45! That is a very decent amount of money to donate. Another idea I had was to visit sites where you can download grocery coupons. If you take $5 worth of coupons with you every week when you do your grocery shopping, you will have saved $20 over a 4 week period. That is money you can donate. If you can save $10 through coupons, you will have $40 to donate. Canadians have been extremely generous already with their donations. I am so proud of them.

As for Molson, I follow some pretty cool Molson people on Twitter and I know they would be very supportive of this decision. I see them tweeting about their company’s initiatives to raise money for Haiti so I know we all have the same goal, help others who need it. Maybe I’ll get lucky and win a pair of tickets or have someone hand me a pair when we are in Vancouver. Olympic karma has produced some really unique things for me so who knows! If you are going to be at the Hockey House, enjoy it! I’ll wave when I pass by.

If you have any other tips for how people can find money to donate to Haiti or other worthy causes, feel free to leave a comment and share your ideas with all of us.