OTTAWA, Ont. – Hockey Canada announced Thursday that D.I.F.D. (Do It For Daron) will be the charity of choice for the 2013 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship, taking place April 2-9 at SBP Arena in Ottawa and the Nepean Sportsplex. D.I.F.D. is a youth-driven initiative at The Royal focused on raising awareness and inspiring conversations about youth mental health.

Several initiatives are planned to support and raise money for D.I.F.D. at The Royal, including:

• Tickets - D.I.F.D. supporters can purchase tickets for the Wednesday, April 3 doubleheader games featuring the United States vs. Finland and Switzerland vs. Canada and sit in the dedicated “Power to the Purple” section of SBP Arena. Fans are encouraged to wear purple to show their solidarity to the cause. Five dollars from each ticket sold in this section will be donated to D.I.F.D. at The Royal. Individual tickets are available for $39 each through www.hockeycanada.ca/2013ottawa (promo code: DIFD), while group tickets (nine or more) can be purchased for $34 each by emailing [email protected];

• 50/50 – For the April 3 games, D.I.F.D. at The Royal will receive a portion of the 50/50 proceeds;

• Programs - $1 from each program sale sold by a D.I.F.D. volunteers during the April 3 games will go to D.I.F.D. at The Royal.

“The Richardson family, through D.I.F.D. is having a very positive impact in the areas of mental health awareness and support,” said Fran Rider, co-chair of the 2013 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship and president of the Ontario Women’s Hockey Association. “We have been approached by hockey players and parents who have had their lives impacted in a positive direction as a result of accessing assistance available.”

“We are so honoured and excited for D.I.F.D.’s partnership with the IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship,” said Stephanie and Luke Richardson, parents of Daron Richardson. “It will inspire more open conversations about youth mental health. Through conversations, we can gain better understanding of mental health, address our own stigmas and make it comfortable for our kids to talk about this important issue. Our family is grateful to have such enormous support from the hockey community.”

D.I.F.D. was created by friends and family of Daron Richardson, who lost her life to suicide at the young age of 14, and is inspired by hope for a future where young people will reach out for help without fear or shame. The charity supports programs and initiatives aimed at transforming youth mental health through research and education at The Royal, which is one of Canada’s foremost mental health care and academic health science centres. For more information on D.I.F.D., please visit www.difd.com.

The 2013 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship is being hosted in partnership by Hockey Canada, the Ontario Women’s Hockey Association and Senators Sports and Entertainment. The 2013 edition will mark the sixth time Canada has hosted the women’s world championship, joining 1990 in Ottawa, Ont., 1997 in Kitchener, Ont., 2000 in Mississauga, Ont., 2004 in Halifax, N.S., and 2007 in Winnipeg, Man.

For more information on the 2013 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship, please visit www.hockeycanada.ca/2013ottawa and follow through social media at www.twitter.com/hc_wwhc and www.facebook.com/worldwomens.