South Edmonton school gets visit from Connor McDavid after Ben Stelter Foundation fundraiser
Posted January 27, 2026 5:54 pm.
Last Updated January 27, 2026 6:21 pm.
Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid got a welcome similar to what he gets from Rogers Place in the playoffs.
Allendale School exploded in cheers when McDavid entered the gymnasium, but his visit wasn’t surprising.
The Ben Stelter School Fundraiser put 50 schools against each other, trying to raise the most for the foundation named after the Oilers superfan. Each school got at least one ballot to have McDavid at their school, and an extra entry for every $1,000 raised. $285,000 was raised in total, while Allendale managed to get about $2,100.
“We were so surprised to win it. But, we were so happy as soon as we got it”, said Moossa Choulli, one of the student leaders leading the fundraising efforts.
How did the kids do it? They sold pizzas on Fridays, tickets for a jersey raffle, and throwing pies in the face of six teachers and a volunteer.
“It felt great. Everyone was watching, yelling after each pie was thrown. It was an awesome experience”, said student leader Atharv Keshri.
“Kids helping kids, it’s a special thing”, said McDavid. “I hope the kids take away the power of community and what together we can all do to help one another.”
Money raised is going towards the goal of bringing proton therapy, an advanced form of cancer treatment, to Canada, which helped Ben’s father, Mike.
