Stuart Farb always rooted for the underdog. In fact, it was for this very reason that Boston Bruins’ hockey player Bobby Orr became his favourite player.
“Even though most hockey players are very tall and very big, Bobby Orr wasn’t,” said Farb’s son Philip. “My dad was also not very tall, so he really identified and liked the underdog.”
So when Stuart passed away in 2012, his children knew they had to keep his love for the underestimated alive.
To do so, they started the Stuart Farb Memorial Hockey Game Fundraiser three years ago, a charity hockey game that raises funds for the Rebecca Farb Endowment Fund at the Reena Foundation, based in Thornhill.
The non-profit social service agency is dedicated to helping children and adults with developmental disabilities realize their full potential and become integrated into the mainstream of society.
In the Greater Toronto Area alone, the organization helps almost 1,000 people in need of its support.
Born and raised in Thornhill themselves, choosing the Reena Foundation seemed like a natural choice for Farb siblings Philip, Guy and Jody. But its location is far from the only factor the family considered when deciding where to donate the funds. Philip’s cousin has seen the challenges of developmental disabilities first-hand since his daughter suffers from one herself.
But thanks to the Farb siblings, children just like her are getting the help they need. The event, which took place in the Thornhill Community Centre Hockey Arena on Jan. 10, garnered $6,113 in personal donations from friends and family.
The filled stands likely came as no surprise to Philip, who said getting the family together was yet another lesson he leaned from his dad.
“He and his brother [have] basically been a great role model for the family,” said Philip. “We all get together very well, and we get along very well, so we’re able to do things like this with each other.”
As an additional salute to the man who inspired it all, the players all sported Boston Bruins jerseys on the ice.
