The first Gaudreau Family 5K Run/Walk and Family Day will be held May 31 at Washington Lake Park in Sewell, New Jersey.
Information about the event, which also includes the option to participate in a virtual 5K, can be found here.
The event will honor the lives of Johnny Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew Gaudreau, who died Aug. 29. They were riding bicycles at home in Salem County, New Jersey, when they were struck by an alleged drunk driver, who has been charged with two counts of death by auto.
Money raised by the event will be used to create an adaptive playground at Archbishop Damiano School in Westville, New Jersey. Jane Gaudreau, Johnny and Matthew's mother, is a finance associate at the school, and Johnny and Matthew spent time volunteering there as teens.
"It's kind of bittersweet, because besides doing tributes or going out and talking about the playground, or doing something in the boys' honor, [husband] Guy and I especially have done not really anything," Jane Gaudreau said. "I feel like by May, and knowing that all our friends will be there, and people that we know from NHL and local hockey, they'll all be there. So I feel like it'll be almost like a warm hug. I know I'm looking forward to that."
There also will be a raffle of gift baskets as well as an online auction featuring signed memorabilia from top athletes around the sports world, including a jersey from the 2023 NHL All-Star Game signed by Johnny Gaudreau. The auction also includes signed jerseys from NHL stars like the Florida Panthers' Matthew Tkachuk, the Pittsburgh Penguins' Sidney Crosby, the New Jersey Devils' Jack Hughes and Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning, as well as autographed items from Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, former NFL stars Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge, and more. Fans can bid on the items here.
"To know the Gaudreau family is to know that family comes before all else," Archbishop Damiano School executive director and principal Michele McCloskey said. "The family’s long-standing dedication and history at Archbishop Damiano School have been a source of inspiration for us all. Their kindness and love continue to touch our hearts as they strive to live our mission and impact our students' lives despite their loss."
The school has been a second home for three generations of Jane Gaudreau's family. Her mother worked at the school while her older brother, Rick, was a student. Jane works there, and Guy and all four of their children have volunteered there. Kristen Gaudreau, their oldest daughter, has worked at the school for more than 15 years.
Jane said she always saw Johnny and Matthew enjoying their time with the students, all of whom have special needs.
"They were supposed to be volunteering and helping them," Jane said. "But I feel like most times they were just like fooling around with them and laughing.
"The students loved it, John and Matty loved it. ... The boys didn't do it because they thought it was something they should do. The boys did it because they were having just as much fun as the students."
Johnny Gaudreau played 11 seasons in the NHL, nine with the Calgary Flames and two with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Matthew Gaudreau was the coach of the boys' hockey team at Gloucester Catholic High School, where he and Johnny had played. He had played five seasons of professional hockey in the American Hockey League, ECHL and in Sweden.
"The lives of John and Matthew have left an indelible mark not just on our local community, but on countless individuals across the country and around the world,” event committee member Michael Green said. "What makes this event truly special is that it’s not confined to the Greater Philadelphia area. We envision satellite events in cities like Columbus, Calgary, and Boston, and in every community touched by the inspiring legacy of these two remarkable young men."
More than 600 people have signed up for the virtual 5K, with entries coming from across the globe, from Johnny's NHL stops to the homes of he and Matthew's junior hockey teams in Dubuque and Omaha of the United States Hockey League.
"We thought it would be something local, like maybe we'll have 100 runners," Jane said. "And they started thinking about it, and then other people started getting involved. We didn't even think to open it up to ... I knew Columbus wanted to do something, because there were people that had already reached out. But there were even people in Dubuque, they were like, 'Oh, well, we need a team [to run]. And then Matty with the Omaha Lancers, that's where we need to be."
Jane believes the playground will serve as the perfect lasting legacy to her sons as well as the students at Archbishop Damiano School.
"It's going to do so much good, and it's going to honor John and Matty," she said. "And that playground will be there for years and years and years to come. And every time I look out my window or leave for the day, I'll be able to see the playground, and I'm just going to feel a warm feeling knowing that we were able to help Archbishop Damiano School's dream come true with the playground."
