REGINA, Sask. — A Spider-Man movie screening in Regina on Saturday will raise money for protective football equipment through an initiative inspired by Greenall High School captain Hunter Gronick, who is recovering from a severe brain injury.
Hunter’s Headstrong Initiative is hosting a screening of Spider-Man: Brand New Day at Moonlight Movies Cinemas on Nov. 7. The screening begins at 2:15 p.m., with Hunter expected to attend.
“Hunter is one of the biggest Spider-Man fans that I know,” said his sister, Emily.
Gronick, captain and punter of the Greenall High School football team, suffered a severe brain injury during a game against the Swift Current Comprehensive School Colts on Sept. 10.
The screening is raising money to purchase Guardian Caps, protective helmet covers designed to help reduce the force of impacts to the head. The initiative hopes to have its first batch available for the Greenall football team ahead of next season.
Emily said more than 100 tickets have already been sold, with the goal of filling the theatre's 140 seats.
The initiative has raised a few thousand dollars so far through various fundraising efforts, including a recent sock fundraiser organized by Mark and Olivia Moroz that brought in $1,000.
“The more we make, the more we can get in that first round [of Guardian Caps],” said Emily.
The initiative was established in Hunter's honour and focuses on concussion prevention and player safety in football.
Alongside fundraising, Hunter has also been making progress in his recovery, particularly with his ability to communicate.
In a recent video posted to the Hunter’s Headstrong Initiative Facebook page, Hunter can be seen speaking directly to the camera, repeating after his sister and encouraging people to attend Saturday's screening. Emily coached Hunter through the message in the video as he struggled to remember the script, but said he is now able to form sentences independently.
Emily said his progress has been encouraging, especially considering the communication challenges he faced early in his recovery.
“In the beginning, he was having difficulties communicating – or he was mouthing words, but he couldn’t get the sound out – whereas now, he is chatting almost as much as he used to. He was a chatter-box before, so that’s a really exciting sign,” said Emily.
Hunter has also been able to reconnect with friends as his speech abilities have improved.
“One of the things that he’s working on right now is volume and taking breaths – so he often will take one breath and try to get out as many words as he can, as fast as possible, and so it can be a little hard to understand him,” said Emily.
Emily hopes Saturday's screening will sell out, giving supporters an opportunity to contribute to the initiative while enjoying an afternoon at the movies.
“Getting something for your money is always better than just making a donation. You get to come and enjoy an afternoon of a fun Spider-Man movie, and have some good snacks, and support not only the head strong initiative, but also the Moonlight Movie Theatre which is a small business in Regina – so it’s all for a good cause,” said Emily.
