One offer of help can go a long way in Charlotte County.
For Chrissy McGregor, it started with a mother’s plea on Facebook to make her home accessible for her daughter.
With a construction business and connections to local contractors, McGregor believed the community would step up. That offer has grown into Hal’s Heroes and an all-day celebration planned for Oct. 9, in St. Stephen.
“We’re just making connections, and the rest of the community is taking it and just running with it,” McGregor said.
Halena, known as Hal, is a Grade 5 student who lives with her mother, Jessi Hovey.
Hal has Friedreich’s ataxia, a rare inherited condition that progressively affects the nervous system, including balance, coordination and movement. It can also affect the heart. She now uses a wheelchair, but parts of their mobile home are too narrow for it.
“My bathroom door is only 24 inches. Her wheelchair is 25. My dryer is there and my toilet’s there,” Hovey said. “There’s no other way.”
Hovey said widening the doorway means moving the dryer and toilet. She couldn’t find funding for the major renovation and couldn’t afford another loan.
McGregor offered to connect the family with contractors and people willing to contribute.
“That means there’s that many people out there just willing to help me keep my little girl home. And, yeah, it’s definitely like every day I have happy tears instead of sad ones,” Hovey said.
The goal is more independence for a girl with plenty of plans. Hal loves fishing, hopes to try surfing and wants to become an online creator.
“She wants to be an influencer,” Hovey said. “She wants to have people watch her play Minecraft.”
For Hovey, gaming gives her daughter a chance to participate on equal terms.
“But I love those games for her because she gets to be the same as everybody else,” she said.
That chance to take part is also at the heart of Friday’s celebration. After seeing the fundraiser on Facebook, Chelsea Arbo and Rebecca Smith, with St. Stephen’s County Moose junior hockey team, reached out.
“And we said, you know, this can be bigger than just fundraising,” Arbo said. “Let’s give Hal a reason to, you know, be excited and see her name out there and celebrate her too.”
Oct. 9 is Hal’s Day. The Moose host the Lewiston MAINEiacs at 7 p.m. at the Garcelon Civic Centre in St. Stephen.
Fans are asked to wear black, teal and purple — Hal’s favourite colours. There will be fundraising T-shirts, a donation table and a 50/50 draw.
“And then we’re also going to have Hal drop the puck at the start of the game. And there’s also going to be glow sticks for sale, so we can light up the entire rink for Hal. All those proceeds from the glow stick sales will also be going to her,” Arbo said.
For Moose captain Hayden Anderson, it’s a chance to return the community’s support.
“We receive a lot of support from our community, and it’s always good to give back,” Anderson said.
Head coach Kyle Adams said those connections matter beyond hockey.
“And we just don’t want good hockey players here. We want good people in town as well,” Adams said.
For McGregor, the response reflects what she values about Charlotte County.
“There’s something about this community. We’re not rich in finances, but we are absolutely the most rich community you could ever find anywhere in the people and the caring,” she said.
For Hal and her mom, that caring means help making their home accessible and giving Hal more independence.
First, though, there’s a puck to drop.
