Stuart Farb left a legacy of love and support of family, friends and community, as well as of comradery and hockey, that inspired a generation to host an annual charity hockey game in his memory. On January 9, 2016, Stuart’s children Guy, Jody and Philip Farb hosted the Stuart Farb Memorial Hockey Game in his memory.
After years of late Saturday night hockey games at the arena, the regulars brought their skates, sticks and cheers to Thornhill Community Centre’s hockey arena for Stuart. Just like the games Stuart played with his sons, the Stuart Farb Memorial Hockey Game is not competitive; coming off the ice, the players could not say what the score was. Everyone was a winner that night; especially the individuals supported by Reena.
Fundraising online and at the event, the Farb Family raised over $6,400! Philip’s 10-year-old son Leo Farb was one of the fundraisers. He told his father “I am really proud that I raised money. My friends and some of my teachers not only donated money to me but talked about how good it was that I was helping people. Even better, one of the people I am helping is one of my favourite cousins whose grandparents, parents, brother and sister have been so nice to me. This makes me feel awesome!”
In four years, the event has raised $20,000 for the Rebecca Farb Endowment Fund, which the family formed through Reena Foundation. The Endowment Fund was named for Stuart’s great-niece Rebecca, who benefits from Reena services. The fund supports Reena’s Respite and Enrichment programs. These programs provide vital life and social skills training, while offering caregiving families relief time from the 24-hour-a-day demands of caring for a loved one with a developmental disability.
The Farbs have a special message to everyone who participated in and supported the event:
Gloria, Jody, Guy and Philip thank everyone for their most generous donations and on-going support. We are truly blessed with the most thoughtful and caring family and friends who continue to honour Skeezix’s (Stuart’s) memory and support Reena’s very important mission.
A cold arena, so late on a Saturday evening, is not too appealing to many people and still they all came out. It was great fun and so nice to see everyone. We are looking forward to next year!
Thanks to the Farb extended family and friends, children and adults like Rebecca are getting the help they need at Reena.
