calgary-based national charity to raise $500k to help kids be mentored by elite athletes
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trevor linden, meaghan mikkelson and mikael backlund take part in a the classroom champions champion chats at the fairmont palliser hotel in calgary on wednesday, may 27, 2026.
gavin young/postmedia
calgary-based national charity classroom champions is raising $500,000 to go towards getting kids off the waitlist for their programs.
the charity hosted a luncheon panel on wednesday, with appearances from former nhl captain trevor linden, calgary flames captain mikael backlund and three-time olympian meaghan mikkelson to talk about their experiences, setbacks, mentors and what it took for them to achieve the success that they did.
the funding raised will go towards increasing access for children in k-8 to receive mentorship from elite athletes such as former olympians, paralympians and professionals who share personal stories about their own setbacks, disciplines, training and success.
the model works in three ways, according to ceo seth rosenzweig. students either get to watch videos of the athletes interpersed through the curriculum, receive regular visits from the athletes to the classroom, or have a live chat opportunity where students get to interact with the athletes virtually and ask them questions.
“what’s it like to play in the nhl? how much money do you make?” backlund joked when asked about the most common questions he gets from the kids.
“a lot of kids ask how hard it was to win,” mikkelson added. “i show them my olympic medals and they’ll ask how hard it was and i tell them it was really hard. but i think that the greatest things that you achieve in life are hard to get.”
the kids don’t just get to meet the athletes who make it to the international stage, but also the ones who don’t. the impact goes both ways, according to rosenzweig.
classroom champions ceo seth rosenzweig speaks with media before the classroom champions champion chats event at the fairmont palliser hotel in calgary on wednesday, may 27, 2026.
gavin young/postmedia
“the athletes who didn’t make it, they were some of the first people who covered our classrooms,” he said. and in turn, the athletes would receive praise and admiration from the kids. “the idea that ‘i didn’t make it’ but i still have a group that i’ve inspired. they feel more than just an athlete.”
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the feedback has always been positive, he added.
“the kids love it. ‘wow, we have someone who really cares about us,'” he said.
data from the program shows kids motivated to show up to school, willing to learn, decreased disciplinary action, less bullying, better mental health wellness scores and on the teacher side, more staff satisfaction.
“it’s not just a program, it’s a movement,” he said.
providing the kids mentorship means giving them the opportunity to have faith in achievement.
“it’s really important for kids to have role models, mentors for them to see what’s possible. and i think that’s what this program allows,” mikkelson said.
“it’s having the kids understand that any goal you have, you have to work towards,” linden said, when asked about the impact of the program.
“practice makes progress, right? we’re not striving for perfection, we’re striving to get better. that’s the biggest thing i stress with the kids.”
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