{"id":6727,"date":"2026-07-22T13:04:31","date_gmt":"2026-07-22T13:04:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=6727"},"modified":"2026-07-22T13:04:31","modified_gmt":"2026-07-22T13:04:31","slug":"marshawn-lynch-adds-football-element-to-hockey-diversity-alliances-summerfest-event-in-toronto","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=6727","title":{"rendered":"Marshawn Lynch adds football element to Hockey Diversity Alliance\u2019s SummerFest event in Toronto"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p>The Hockey Diversity Alliance is adding a football element to its youth SummerFest in Toronto this weekend, with former NFL running back Marshawn Lynch serving as a special guest.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=6725\">Firefighters in central Spain battle huge wildfire during heat wave<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Aside from competing in a celebrity ball hockey game, Lynch will also host a football clinic at the HDA\u2019s fourth festival on Saturday. The former Seattle Seahawks player and 2014 Super Bowl champion is no stranger to the HDA. Lynch took the ice at the alliance\u2019s WinterFest that coincided with Toronto hosting the NHL All-Star Game two years ago.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m really excited about him and the football aspect of it,\u201d HDA chairman Akim Aliu said. \u201cWhere we\u2019re able to have success as an organization is tapping into the culture and personality aspects and using people\u2019s audiences from different sports.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The HDA was launched in 2020 by current and former NHL players of color to speak out against racism and intolerance, and with an objective of opening hockey to minorities and underserved youth by providing free hockey equipment, hosting clinics and renting ice time.<\/p>\n<p>Aliu estimated the HDA has spent about $1.1 million annually in its grassroots mission, and has since expanded beyond the Toronto region. The alliance has launched programs in Los Angeles, New York, Montreal, Nova Scotia, and is preparing to add Calgary, Alberta, to the mix next month, Aliu said.<\/p>\n<p>SummerFest stands as the major event on the HDA calendar, and features performances, carnival attractions and rides, followed by a fundraising gala in the evening.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=6723\">Durham nonprofit aims to provide 300 pairs of sneakers to children in back-to-school giveaway<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Among the notable athletes scheduled to attend are Canadian Olympic sprinter Andre De Grasse, tennis player Bianca Andreescu, former Seahawks tight end Luke Wilson and former Toronto Raptors player Serge Ibaka.<\/p>\n<p>Aliu anticipates the daytime event attracting a capacity crowd of more than 4,000 participants. <\/p>\n<p>Aliu is a former pro hockey player who was born in Nigeria, lived in Ukraine and picked up the sport when his family moved to Toronto when he was 7. In 2022, Scholastic and the publishing company of former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick released a graphic novel highlighting Aliu\u2019s life titled: \u201cAkim Aliu Dreamer: Growing Up Black in the World of Hockey.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy I\u2019m so proud of our work is because it\u2019s really for the most vulnerable that would never have access to the sport,\u201d Aliu said. \u201cOver 2,000 lives have been positively impacted by our work, and we\u2019re just getting going.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=6721\">Trump will attend the dignified transfer of 4 US service members killed in the Middle East<\/a><\/p>\n<p>___<\/p>\n<p>AP NHL: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/nhl<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Hockey Diversity Alliance is adding a football element to its youth SummerFest in Toronto&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6726,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6727","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - 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