Laini Klassen struggled through tears to express her gratitude.

"It just overwhelms me. It really does,” said Klassen, president of the Yukon Amateur Speed Skating Association (YASSA).

Klassen was overwhelmed when Walter Brennan, president of the Yukon Amateur Hockey Association (YAHA), presented her a cheque for $750 to replace one of 140 speed skating mats damaged in the June 24 fire at the Canada Games Centre.

The YASSA needs to replace at least 100 of the mats before speed skaters can begin their season in September.

To date, Klassen estimated that the club has received $30,000 in donations from various businesses, associations, non-profit organizations and private donors to replace the mats.

"I have a really hard time not crying every time people (make a donation). I don't know how many times I've had to turn my back because someone's handed me a cheque for $750 or $1,500 or $7,500. It's been so overwhelming,” she said, adding that the YASSA also raised $2,400 from a bake sale at the Fireweed Community Market and a hotdog sale.

The YAHA added to the total during a presentation outside the Canada Games Centre yesterday afternoon.

Teslin's Robin Smarch also announced that the Teslin Minor Hockey Association is sponsoring a mat.

"We challenge all the other Minor Hockey Associations in the Yukon to sponsor a mat and help out our speed skating cousins,” Smarch said.

The total cost of replacing all 140 mats is estimated at $100,000.

A week after the fire, the YASSA sent speed skating associations nationwide a distress signal.

The Nunavut Speed Skating Association was the first to answer the call.

"We have people who have contacted us from across Canada,” Klassen said. "And the response from this community to our association has been unbelievable. ... We feel very honoured to be a part of the Yukon and this community of Whitehorse.”

Brennan added, "I guess that's one of the reasons a lot of us may have come here for a couple of years and we stay forever. We get involved in the community ... and everybody does a little tiny bit, and when you get all those little tiny bits to come together, you've got a big slice. That's what makes us very lucky to live here.”

Laini's daughter Emily agreed.

The 16-year-old speed skater was angry when news broke about the fire.

But she chose to make whatever difference she could.

Emily went door-to-door in her Crestview neighborhood with a pledge sheet collecting donations before the YASSA met to decide a plan of action.

Emily raised $400 in three days. Like her mother, she spoke of the generosity of Yukoners with a shake in her voice.

"Speed skating is my life. It means a lot to me. I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have speed skating. I'd probably just be sitting on my couch watching TV all the time. And with those mats gone, we can't skate. It really meant a lot to me to get out there and start raising money to help get our mats back,” Emily said.

Her initial shock and anger has dissipated in the face of the Yukon's generosity.

"I cried,” Emily said of first receiving word of the damage. "I was so overwhelmed, and when my mom told me that they caught our mats on fire, I was just heartbroken. I couldn't believe that people would do that.”

And now?

"My feelings have changed from being really heartbroken and sad to really happy, because I know we're going to get these mats back. We will get these mats back.

"It warms my heart knowing people can do stuff like that. I honestly didn't think Whitehorse would do something like that, and everybody's been willing to donate their money to help us.”

The YASSA now has a lot more money to raise to replace the mats before the skaters can get back on the Olympic-sized ATCO Arena at the Games Centre.

This season is especially important to the territory's speed skaters as Whitehorse is getting set to host the 2012 Arctic Winter Games in March.

"In circumstances like this, we're very glad to help a fellow sport governing body in its time of need,” Brennan said. "So we would like to challenge all other sport governing bodies in the Yukon to step up to the ice and sponsor one or more mats as well.”

Sport governing bodies, minor hockey associations and anyone interested can sponsor one or more mats, or partial mats, by sending a cheque to Yukon Amateur Speed Skating Association, 4016 – 4th Ave., Whitehorse, YT, Y1A 1H1.