Breaking the Ice

I recently decided to start a campaign to raise money for people specifically in South Africa, who play hockey but cannot afford some of the more expensive equipment.
I struggled myself for nearly 3 months to save enough to get the gear I needed just to get on the ice.
And if not for generosity of others would still be struggling,

This will be my first trial run to get hockey equipment for players who struggle financially, and pending the success hopefully not the last.
So far a near complete second hand kit has been bought from a former player, who gave me an incredible deal for his gear. Photo's of the gear and a special mention can be seen on the Facebook page.
I still needs a pair of good skates and mediocre quality helmet and thus the reason for this current fund raiser.
The current helmet is not bad, but the padding is falling apart and the clips pop off if I get a hard hit.
I have an old pair of CCM 155 skates (almost 15 years old).
This is good enough to practice, but the skates do not have the ankle support or protection required in the event of puck impact or aggressive training.
Those who have played the game know the importance and cost of good skates. As for the helmet I have factored the cost of a entry level CCM helmet into the required amount.

Once this trial run is over I want to continue helping others in the same situation as I find myself.
I will prefer that players take an active part in the fund raising by donating a percentage to themselves, as well as donate some of their own time in the form of promoting their own funding to friends or family to "earn" the sponsor/funding.
Since this is my first attempt at raising funds this way I will be putting myself through the exact same process that I expect from others. This will give a more accurate indication of the possibility for success.
I do not have much in the line of intensives for the beneficiaries or the sponsors as yet. For now a special mention on Facebook is the best I can do.

I am at the same time working on the Facebook page to promote Ice hockey throughout the country and not just for specific clubs or provinces. The Facebook page is currently live, which has been up for less than a month and am currently looking for local administrators and content.
I am also putting together a blog/site where we will be posting pictures and letters of thanks to all those who donate or sponsor equipment. This will also act as a portal to request and register for fund raising.
This site should go live before May 2017. For now any requests will be coming through the Facebook page.

I would love for this to be a successful first attempt, so here's holding thumbs....