84 - Martha Hart (Owen Hart Foundation)

Founder and Director of the Owen Hart Foundation, Martha Hart, joins The Kondrat Podcast this week to share the story of getting her own justice in the wake of Owen Hart’s tragic passing, and how doing so has helped create opportunity and better lives for people around the world.

The story of the Owen Hart Foundation starts with the loss of Owen Hart as part of an incident while performing as a wrestler in 1999. A risky stunt gone wrong led to his death in the ring, leaving behind his wife and two children, and traumatizing audiences and his peers who had to continue wrestling with Owen’s blood still on the mats. Following this tragedy a lengthy legal battle ensued where-in the then-called WWF made use of their deep pockets to keep the case out of court and keep Martha perpetually in the pursuit of justice. When one of her lawyers broke the news to her that a settlemenet was all the justice she and Owen would ever get, she vowed to make her own justice and the Owen Hart Foundation was born.

At its outset the mandate of the Owen Hart Foundation was split between three primary purposes that were close to Owen and Martha’s hearts: a scholarship program, a housing program, and a partnership fund. The scholarship fund was inspired by Martha’s own struggles working towards her education, spending many years in and out of post secondary school balancing the cost of education and cost of living. The housing program, which helps recipients purchase homes and includes a two-year financial literacy program, was brought about because of the hard working families Martha knew grewing up who just couldn’t get out of renting and into owning their own homes, no matter how hard their worked.

The Foundation’s partnership fund allows them to grow the reach and scope of the organization to respond to current needs, and in many ways has been influenced by Martha’s kids. Her son helped drive the decision to partner with organizations that help support human rights causes such as Black Lives Matter, and her daughter influenced partnerships with animal rights organizations such as the Calgary Zoo’s conservation program.

Other causes that have benefitted from the Owen Hart Foundation include Amensty International, For The Love Of Children Society, as well as support local food banks desperately in need of resources through the COVID-19 pandemic. This flexible scope and reach allows the Foundation to go where the need is, and to live up to their mission of helping people with limited resources but unlimited potential.

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