Latest news with #BenStelter
CTV News
28-05-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Fried chicken proceeds to support Ben Stelter Foundation
A fundraiser poster at a Popeyes restaurant in downtown Edmonton on May 27, 2025. (Nahreman Issa/CTV News Edmonton) A fundraising push in honour of Oilers superfan Ben Stelter was underway in Edmonton on Tuesday. 'Celebrating by doing some of Benny's favorite things today. Eating some of the food that he loves so much and then we'll go to cheer on his Edmonton Oilers tonight,' Ben's father Mike Stelter said, at a downtown Popeyes restaurant. Popeyes in Edmonton Celebrating Ben Stelter at a fundraising event at Popeyes in downtown Edmonton on May 27, 2025. (Nahreman Issa/CTV News Edmonton) Ben died from cancer at the age of six in 2022. Tuesday marked what would have been his 9th birthday. Stelter said Ben's favourite meal between his cancer treatments was the spicy chicken tenders, fries and mac and cheese at Popeyes. '(After being) in the hospital, when he'd come home - he'd always request Popeyes as his first meal that we'd sit down and eat as a family together,' Stelter said. Kyle Ferbey, chief operating officer of Synergy Franchising, learned about Ben's love for the chicken at a charity event and decided to team up with the Stelter family and raise money in honour of Ben. 'Ben just was always such an inspiration for me, personally, and I think for everyone in the city to go through what he went through and the hardship he had,' Ferbey said, remembering Ben's rally for the Oilers while battling cancer. 'To always have a smile on his face and to be a pillar of power, even for the people of Edmonton, but also the Oilers and the players, (it's) just a reminder that people go through a lot harder things than what we do every day.' All net proceeds from 21 Popeyes locations in northern Alberta will go to the Ben Stelter Foundation, which is raising money to bring an advanced cancer radiation therapy to Edmonton. The foundation first announced plans to build The Ben Stelter Centre for Proton Therapy and Neurosciences in March 2024, which they said would be a first for proton therapy in Canada. 'Hundreds of Albertans have to travel to the United States for this treatment every year,' Stelter said. 'We're hoping to break ground on it in fall of this year, but we're still working hard raising money for it.' Popeyes also set up a campaign to collect cash donations for the charity at its restaurant locations from May 20 to June 3. A fundraiser at a St Albert School A table with treats at a school raffle fundraising event at Joseph M. Demko School in St. Albert on May 27, 2025. (Nahreman Issa/CTV News Edmonton) Celebrations for Ben also took place at a school in St. Albert, which has celebrated Ben's birthday for the past three years with a fundraiser. 'Ben was a huge example of what one little human can do for a community, a province, a city, Canada, the world, because we have heard over time how his spirit has impacted many children,' Joseph M. Demko School principal Susan Anderson told CTV News Edmonton after a school assembly. Anderson says the school holds a raffle for prizes and sweet treats that are donated by the community. This year, she said they raised more than $5,000 for the Ben Stelter Foundation. Stelter says the love for Ben and the support for the foundation are touching. '(It) just speaks volumes about how much the city cares and that they remember him, that they think about him a lot too,' Stelter said. 'I don't think there's anywhere else in the world where the community would rally around one special boy, one family, one foundation.' Donations for the Ben Stelter Foundation can also be made on their website and through the purchase of hoodies and shirts from their new online store. With files from CTV News Edmonton's Nahreman Issa and Bruce Wiggins
CTV News
28-05-2025
- General
- CTV News
Fried chicken proceeds to support Ben Stelter Foundation
A fundraiser poster at a Popeyes restaurant in downtown Edmonton on May 27, 2025. (Nahreman Issa/CTV News Edmonton) A fundraising push in honour of Oilers superfan Ben Stelter was underway in Edmonton on Tuesday. 'Celebrating by doing some of Benny's favorite things today. Eating some of the food that he loves so much and then we'll go to cheer on his Edmonton Oilers tonight,' Ben's father Mike Stelter said, at a downtown Popeyes restaurant. Popeyes in Edmonton Celebrating Ben Stelter at a fundraising event at Popeyes in downtown Edmonton on May 27, 2025. (Nahreman Issa/CTV News Edmonton) Ben died from cancer at the age of six in 2022. Tuesday marked what would have been his 9th birthday. Stelter said Ben's favourite meal between his cancer treatments was the spicy chicken tenders, fries and mac and cheese at Popeyes. '(After being) in the hospital, when he'd come home - he'd always request Popeyes as his first meal that we'd sit down and eat as a family together,' Stelter said. Kyle Ferbey, chief operating officer of Synergy Franchising, learned about Ben's love for the chicken at a charity event and decided to team up with the Stelter family and raise money in honour of Ben. 'Ben just was always such an inspiration for me, personally, and I think for everyone in the city to go through what he went through and the hardship he had,' Ferbey said, remembering Ben's rally for the Oilers while battling cancer. 'To always have a smile on his face and to be a pillar of power, even for the people of Edmonton, but also the Oilers and the players, (it's) just a reminder that people go through a lot harder things than what we do every day.' All net proceeds from 21 Popeyes locations in northern Alberta will go to the Ben Stelter Foundation, which is raising money to bring an advanced cancer radiation therapy to Edmonton. The foundation first announced plans to build The Ben Stelter Centre for Proton Therapy and Neurosciences in March 2024, which they said would be a first for proton therapy in Canada. 'Hundreds of Albertans have to travel to the United States for this treatment every year,' Stelter said. 'We're hoping to break ground on it in fall of this year, but we're still working hard raising money for it.' Popeyes also set up a campaign to collect cash donations for the charity at its restaurant locations from May 20 to June 3. A fundraiser at a St Albert School A table with treats at a school raffle fundraising event at Joseph M. Demko School in St. Albert on May 27, 2025. (Nahreman Issa/CTV News Edmonton) Celebrations for Ben also took place at a school in St. Albert, which has celebrated Ben's birthday for the past three years with a fundraiser. 'Ben was a huge example of what one little human can do for a community, a province, a city, Canada, the world, because we have heard over time how his spirit has impacted many children,' Joseph M. Demko School principal Susan Anderson told CTV News Edmonton after a school assembly. Anderson says the school holds a raffle for prizes and sweet treats that are donated by the community. This year, she said they raised more than $5,000 for the Ben Stelter Foundation. Stelter says the love for Ben and the support for the foundation are touching. '(It) just speaks volumes about how much the city cares and that they remember him, that they think about him a lot too,' Stelter said. 'I don't think there's anywhere else in the world where the community would rally around one special boy, one family, one foundation.' Donations for the Ben Stelter Foundation can also be made on their website and through the purchase of hoodies and shirts from their new online store. With files from CTV News Edmonton's Nahreman Issa and Bruce Wiggins
CTV News
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Major fundraiser to mark Ben Stelter's birthday
May 27 would have been Ben Stelter's birthday. The young Oilers fan had brain cancer and died in 2022. CTV News Edmonton's Nahreman Issa has more on fundraising efforts by the Ben Stelter Foundation and Ben's favourite fast food restaurant.
Global News
27-05-2025
- Sport
- Global News
Popeyes in Edmonton supports the Ben Stelter Foundation with 1st annual ‘Ben's Day'
It's the first ever Ben's Day at Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen across Edmonton, in celebration of a little boy who brought the city together both in joy and grief. 'Just the idea to make Ben's Day something for the whole community is really cool,' said Mike Stelter, the father of Ben Stelter: a passionate Edmonton Oilers fan whose battle with brain cancer and how the team supported him captivated the community. The idea for Ben's Day came about after parents Mike and Lea Stelter met Kyle Ferbey about a year ago. Ferbey is with the franchise group that owns all the Popeyes fast food restaurants in Edmonton and northern Alberta – and he quickly learned Ben was a big fan of their fried chicken and southern sides. 'I found out that Ben's favourite meal was from Popeyes,' Ferbey said. Story continues below advertisement 'Whenever he would leave the hospital or on his birthday, he would always request Popeyes.' Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Whenever he would leave the hospital or on his birthday, he would always request Popeyes." Ben's go-to meal was spicy chicken, mac and cheese and cajun French fries. 2:55 Beloved Edmonton Oilers fan Ben Stelter, 6, dies after fight with brain cancer Ferbey knew he had to do something special to honour Ben; so from now on every May 27 will be Ben's Day at Popeyes. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'To have an opportunity to do something for the community that I know is going to make a big difference in our city – it's something that I feel so good about and absolutely love being a part of,' Ferbey said. The net proceeds from participating stores in Edmonton and Northern Alberta will go to the Ben Stelter Foundation. 'Edmonton is a community like no other,' Mike said. Story continues below advertisement 'The way they rallied around Ben, our family and the foundation is incredible and we've been able to help so many kids like Ben — which is what he wanted so bad.' Ben was a huge Oilers fan. The team, and all of Edmonton, embraced him through his cancer fight. 2:04 Edmontonians say goodbye to young Oilers fan Ben Stelter The team viewed the six-year-old, who died from an aggressive glioblastoma brain cancer in August 2022, as its bright light and good luck charm. A huge Oilers fan, Ben's dream was to meet Connor McDavid. Dressed in an Oilers jersey and McDavid socks, that dream came true when Ben skated to centre ice with his hero for the anthems. View image in full screen Ben Stelter, a young Edmonton Oilers fan with cancer, poses with Connor McDavid in the team's locker room earlier in 2022. Credit: Mike Stelter The team pledged before the start of the 2021-22 season they would play La Bamba after every win at Rogers Place in honour of long-time locker room assistant Joey Moss. Story continues below advertisement Ben became known for telling the team to 'Play La Bamba, baby!' and became a household name in Edmonton and beyond. To this day, the Mexican folk song still echoes throughout Rogers Place when the team wins a game. Tuesday, May 27, 2025 would have been his 9th birthday. 'The overwhelming support from the community, the messages we got today even before making a single post — people reaching out saying 'thinking of you today' and wishing Ben a happy birthday is so special,' Mike said.
