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Charitable donations pick up steam as hockey world mourns Wade Belak’s death

Wade Belak

The St Louis Blues, right, celebrate a goal by teammate Matt D’Agostini against the Nashville Predators as Predators’ Wade Belak (3) skates by in the first period of an NHL hockey game on Thursday, Oct. 14, 2010, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mike Strasinger)

AP

While Wade Belak was laid to rest this afternoon in a private funeral service in Nashville, members of the hockey community hope to promote the charities he championed and help his family get back on their feet.

Amanda DiPaolo of Inside Smashville took a look at the Wade Belak Memorial Charity Drive, which Puck Scene’s Patten Fuqua organized. The goal of that drive is to raise $3,333 (a reference to Belak’s number 3 jersey in Nashville) for The Tourette Syndrome Clinic at Toronto Western Hospital. Belak was scheduled to compete in honor of that clinic during his participation in CBC’s “Battle of the Blades.” He likely chose to aid the fight against Tourette Syndrome because one of his daughters is battling the disease.

The drive’s minimum asking pledge is $3, although DiPaolo points out that there was also a pledge of $333.33 and multiple pledges of $50 and $100. DiPaolo reports that the charity generated $1,650 so far. (Follow this link if you’re interested in donating.)

That isn’t the only route in which people are donating money in honor of Belak. Associate coach Brent Peterson pledged an additional $1,000 from a different charity event to go to the clinic, according to DiPaolo.

If people want to assist Belak’s family in a more direct way, they can do that as well.

In lieu of flowers, Belak’s family says donations can be made to The Andie and Alex Belak Scholarship Fund. Checks may be made payable to Woodmont Christian Church/Belak (3601 Hillsboro Pike, Nashville, TN 37215).

We’ve gone to great lengths to try to make sense of the recent string of deaths and how the league can try to adapt to help its players fight through their problems. There’s a sense that people hope that some good can come from these tragic ends in that way, but if charities also get added attention, that could be another route to find ways to generate some positives from a very sad situation.