It was loud and busy on Sunday afternoon in front of the Hundred in the Hudson. Residents gather for a bite and fundraise for a particular member of the community.
“(Brigit) has participated in so many fundraisers for muscular dystrophy, and she just puts herself into other people and now is the time for us to give her back,” said Tim Hiscox, who helped organize the fundraiser. helped.
Brigitte O’Driscoll is a firefighter at Hudson and a Canadian Armed Forces Sergeant. She has been serving since 2013 and is currently a Door Gunner in 438 Squadron, a unit of the Royal Canadian Air Force.
In her spare time, she plays football and was recently selected by Team Canada to play at the World Championships in Finland. But reaching the tournament is expensive. Each player must pay $4,000 to cover their travel, food and accommodation.
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“It’s going to help me a ton,” O’Driscoll said. “And all that money, that extra, is going to be split equally with my teammates going to Finland. So it’s not only helping me. It’s helping my teammates too.”
Hiscox, who is also a firefighter in Hudson, says he and his wife had heard about O’Driscolls. gofundme campaigned and decided to help by organizing a small raffle to raise money.
But it eventually turned into a bigger phenomenon, when donations started pouring in from local businesses.
“In a small community, everyone stands up for each other, everyone helps each other,” O’Driscoll said. “And to see real support here, it’s amazing.”
“People I don’t even know come up to me to congratulate me and cheer me up. It’s quite impressive and extremely humbling.”
O’Driscoll will leave for Finland on July 21. The tournament will start a week later.
She hopes to help bring the championship home, saying there’s nothing better than knowing that her community will be watching and rooting for her.
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