5K in Memory of the Gaudreau Raises Over $500,000 for an Inclusive Playground
In a moving event, the first 5K in honor of John and Matthew Gaudreau raised over $500,000. This sum will allow the construction of an accessible playground at the special education school where their mother works. The 5K Gaudreau Family run/walk, which took place in May at Washington Lake Park in South New Jersey, brought together thousands of participants. This park was a place frequented by John and Matthew during their childhood, and it is near the Hollydell Ice Arena, where they began playing hockey. The event had more than 1,100 in-person participants and more than 1,100 virtual participants from the United States, Canada, and other parts of the world. The funds raised, along with contributions in memory of John and Matt, made it possible to reach the financial goal for the construction of the accessible playground at Archbishop Damiano School. Jane Gaudreau and her daughter Kristen work at this school. This project was spearheaded by John and Matthew in honor of their grandmother Marie, who dedicated 44 years to the school and passed away in 2023. The park’s inauguration is scheduled for late August or early September, with the start of community construction tentatively set for October 4th. Despite a brief tornado alert the night before, the 5K went off without a hitch.The next Gaudreau 5K family race/walk is tentatively scheduled for May 16, 2026. The Gaudreau brothers, John, who played 10 full seasons in the NHL with Calgary and Columbus, died last August on the eve of his sister’s wedding, after being hit by a driver suspected of being drunk while riding their bikes in New Jersey. The playground initiative was launched by director Michele McCloskey in October 2020. Fundraising over the last five years has been a slow process. Many friends from the hockey world and others, inspired by the brothers and the cause, joined the effort.Because of the rain, we thought that many people would not come. But it was a great turnout. Many people asked us if we will do it again next year. It was a great show of love and affection, especially for the children in our family.
Jane Gaudreau
The Gaudreaus and the staff at Archbishop Damiano School were dedicated to raising funds for a modern playground that allows for wheelchair accessibility, ramps, and transfer platforms for students. Students placed their wish list for the park on the school walls. The 5K event included an online memorabilia auction that extended beyond hockey, with all proceeds donated to the playground project and its original goal of $600,000. The playground area has already been marked out and the equipment has been ordered, but there is still work to be done. The Gaudreaus and the school need everything from 175 tons of crushed concrete to beach sand and other construction materials to complete the project.We hear a lot about how much everyone appreciated everything [the brothers] did for the community, and they helped us. We hear a lot of nice stories, a lot of people were very generous, just wanting to be there for our family and do what they could to keep the legacy of John and Matty alive, which is what we wanted from the playground and to move forward from here.
Gaudreau
Archbishop Damiano School was founded in 1968 for children with Down syndrome and now serves 135 students with special needs between the ages of 3 and 21. Jane Gaudreau’s brother attended the school, and her mother worked there. Jane was hired in 1984 and is still a finance associate. Kristen, the eldest daughter, has taught at the school for nearly two decades. Katie, the youngest daughter, who got married in July, used to help the children when she could, and the two Gaudreau siblings volunteered at the school when they weren’t playing hockey.We are just planning our community construction, in which we will need help.
Gaudreau
