A group of young men in Chilliwack surpassed their fundraising goal on Saturday for a children's hospice centre where one of their best friends died of cancer.
Donations for the fourth annual Markus Schouten Memorial Roller Hockey Fundraiser topped $150,000 on the weekend. The fundraiser for Canuck Place Children's Hospice has been running for three years.
Dad Mike Schouten called his son a gift-giver.
After a 15-month battle with cancer, Markus passed away at Canuck Place on May 29, 2022 at the age of 18. In his final days, six friends affectionately referred to as "the boys" sat by his bedside to say goodbye.
"Markus had really impressed upon his friends like, 'Hey guys, don't go out and sulk all summer and sit in front of your screens and be sad. Go do stuff,'" Mike said. "He wanted to buy them something, so he said, 'Use some of my money, go buy yourself some roller blades and play hockey.'"
With this, the boys held a roller-hockey fundraiser two months after Schouten's death. It coincided with Markus' birthday which was July 27. The first year, it was a low-key event where the boys and others played hockey for six hours while raising funds for Canuck Place.
"We're Christians, so we had a moment of reflection and prayer and I said to the guys, 'We're doing this in memory of Markus. We're doing this so that more families who have children who need care get that care,'" Mike said.
He, along with Markus' mom Jennifer, did most of the organizing for the initial fundraiser, and then the six boys took over after that. Over the years, more teams have joined and more donations have come in from family members, friends and local businesses.
Lincoln Louwerse was one of the six who helped start the tournament. He knew Markus through church, school and as a neighbour.
"It's not all about the hockey. It's not all about us and the things we do. It's more so enjoying the people that were around Markus when he died," Louwerse said.
This year's fundraiser was on July 26 at a farm property in Greendale where six teams played. One team was made up of the six boys, then there was a family team, the cousins, two "random" teams of people who knew Markus from school, church and the community, plus a team led by Markus' mentor Gary Baars.
Over the years, more than $152,000 has been raised for a place that's near and dear to Markus' family. A cousin even made a golden trophy out of an old inline skate.
Mike spoke very highly of the hospice care his son received. Doctors told Markus they didn't know how long he would live, but they assured him that however long he did have, he would live it to the best he could.
"We've experienced firsthand the blessing of palliative and hospice care for children in British Columbia that is so top-notch. We were able to live every day well that Markus had (at Canuck Place)," Mike said. "Markus died well because of the care that was provided in our home and then at the hospice in Vancouver by Canuck Place staff and nurses."
He added that one of the slogans for Canuck Place is short lives be lived well, "and that's exactly what it was" for Markus.
Chantelle Bowles with Canuck Place said it's "absolutely beautiful and humbling" when families give back.
"It's the epitome of friendship. These boys 鈥� young men 鈥� when they were there with Markus, they were asked to go and do something with roller blades, don't just sit around in the summer. And they turned it into this fundraiser," Bowles said.
Louwerse added that he and the other five boys are honouring their friend's way of living.
"Ultimately, what it really means for us in Markus' passing, is for six 18-year-old guys to see a guy who had confidence in Christ and understood the grace that was extended to him, and he shared that with us 鈥� not through anything fancy or special, but through his actions and the way he lived his life.
"That impacted us 鈥� it changed our lives for the better."
To donate to the Markus Schouten Memorial Roller Hockey Fundraiser, go to .
