Dozens of Boston Pizza locations across the country are hosting a fundraiser in honour of Oilers superfan Ben Stelter. Starting Tuesday, a portion of all pizza sales across 52 northern Alberta Boston Pizza locations will be donated to the Ben Stelter Foundation. Stelter captured the hearts of the hockey world in 2022 and died of brain cancer. His parents, Mike and Lea Stelter, say Boston Pizza has a special place in their hearts. “Ben loved going to Boston Pizza all the time, it was one of our family favourites to go to with him,” Mike told CTV News Edmonton. The foundation, in Ben’s name, is a non-profit organization that helps create positive experiences for children with cancer, purchases medical equipment and searches for potential cures of cancer. The money raised will be going toward proton beam therapy, an advanced type of radiation therapy to treat cancer. “It’s not available in Canada right now so families that are in search of this therapy are travelling far and out of the country to get this therapy for their children,” said Megan Moore, a Boston Pizza franchisee, on Your Morning Edmonton Tuesday. Mike says many families often don’t go to the U.S. to seek treatment for their kids because they can’t afford to go. “We think everybody should be able to access the best quality treatment no matter their financial situation,” he said. The goal is to bring the therapy treatment to Edmonton, making it the first in Canada. Mike says they’re still a few million dollars away from reaching $180 million to create the project. “It feels incredible to have not just Edmonton but (to have) Alberta supporting and coming together to help the children who really need it,” said Lea. The fundraiser runs until Saturday.
