For the Stevenson and Thomas families, contributing to developments at the Gordie Howe Sports Complex is more than just a great way to give back to our community; it’s also a great way to keep the memory of their boys alive.
The two young athletes, Quinn Stevenson and Evan Thomas, lost their lives in terrible tragedies. Quinn’s vehicle was struck by an impaired driver in August 2013, and Evan was travelling with his teammates, the Humboldt Broncos, in April 2018 when the semi driver ran a stop sign and the bus couldn’t avoid the collision.
Baseball was important to Quinn and Evan – they both played and loved the game. The two families approached Kip Simon of the Regina-based apparel company ’22Fresh to create a T-shirt to be sold as a fundraiser. Challenged to design a graphic to honour the life and memory of the two young athletes, came up with “Pearls Only For The Boys,” figuring baseball in heaven had better be all pearls. (In baseball a ‘pearl’ is slang for a brand-new-right-out-of-the-package baseball.)
Bonny, Craig, Scott and Laurie are proud to honour their boys through a gift to young athletes. “The facility is amazing!” Bonny Stevenson says when talking about the new Indoor Training Centre, “we’re incredibly proud to be a small part of it. The new facilities will open the door for so many young athletes.” They are especially happy the new facilities will benefit both elite athletes and those who just “love the sport.” They look forward to completion of the multisport centre, which will become the new home for baseball in Saskatoon.