'I just want to give back': Alphonso Davies unveils new burger for Stollery fundraiser
International soccer star Alphonso Davies greeted hundreds of fans in his hometown of Edmonton Saturday while promoting a new fundraiser for the Stollery Children's Hospital.
"The Phonzy burger with the special 19 sauce" will be sold at Burger Daddy, and half of the proceeds on the 19th of every month will be given to the children's charity.
"I just want to give back to my community. The Stollery helps a lot of families, a lot of kids, and I just want to give back to them," Davies told reporters.
He spent several hours meeting people, signing autographs and taking photos. The lineup was snaked through the parking lot on 45 Street and 167 Avenue.
"I'm happy that they're able to come out and come see me. I'm happy to meet my fans and meet my Edmontonians and I'm grateful for this," Davies said.
"These kids need help, and I'm able to help. So I try to do it in a way that I know how to."
Kelli White, a teacher from Saskatchewan, drove six hours to meet the 21-year-old Bayern Munich and Team Canada star.
"I just think he's an amazing role model. And all my students know Mrs. White is the biggest Alphonso Davies fan," she said before sitting down to her burger.
"So when there was an opportunity to come say hi and get something signed, six hours didn't seem like a very big deal."
White said Davies' journey particularly inspires her. He was born in a refugee camp in Ghana to Liberian parents who fled civil war in their home country. The family came to Canada when Davies was five.
Fans lineup for autographs with Canadian soccer star Alphonso Davies in Edmonton on June 25, 2022 (Dave Mitchell/CTV News Edmonton).
"I just told him that I think he's a great role model and I encouraged him to perhaps think about writing a middle-year graphic novel about being a refugee," she said, saying kids would enjoy reading that from someone who lived it.
Firas Househ, owner of Burger Daddy, said he didn't know how much the Phonzy burger would raise but he hopes it's a lot.
"Us, as Edmontonians, we enjoy giving back to the community," he said.
Davies' burger has two patties, cheese, onion and lettuce and special sauce that Househ wouldn't reveal.
"He created his own sauce, you gotta try it," he said with a laugh.
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Nahreman Issa and The Canadian Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Air traveller complaints to Canadian Transportation Agency hit new high
The Canadian Transportation Agency has hit a record high of more than 71,000 complaints in a backlog. The quasi-judicial regulator and tribunal tasked with settling disputes between customers and the airlines says the backlog is growing because the number of incoming complaints keeps increasing.
U.S. flight attendant indicted in attempt to record teen girl in airplane bathroom
An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.