<img class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual" src="https://display.blogto.com/articles/20250414-ryan-reynolds-grace-bowen.jpeg?w=1200&amp;cmd=resize_then_crop&amp;height=630&amp;quality=70" width="100%" /><p>Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds is lending his voice to a heartfelt cause and urging the town of Cobourg, Ontario,&nbsp;to rename a local arena in honour of Grace Bowen, a nine-year-old girl who passed away from cancer in 2015.</p><p>Reynolds, who was born in Vancouver, made a special virtual appearance at a Cobourg town committee meeting this week, where he passionately advocated for renaming The Pond Arena after Grace. The two first met in 2014 during a Canada's Walk of Fame event in Toronto, where Bowen was backstage with hockey icon Hayley Wickenheiser.</p><p>Despite meeting over a decade ago, the connection they formed left a lasting impact on the<em> Deadpool </em>star.</p><p>"She changed my life really,"&nbsp;Reynold told the town's&nbsp;Community Services, Protection and Economic Development Standing Committee. "I was just really taken by Grace,&nbsp;her name just kind of said it all."</p><p>Bowen and Reynolds kept in touch until her death in 2015 from osteosarcoma, the same type of cancer that claimed the life of Canadian hero Terry Fox in 1981.</p><p>"[The arena] was Grace's temple, that was her church, that was her everything. Hockey was her life,"&nbsp;Reynolds said.</p><p>A balloon sculpture with Grace's story has already been installed at the arena as part of SickKids'&nbsp;150th birthday celebrations. However, Reynolds, along with Bowen's parents, believes that renaming the area would be a more permanent and powerful way to honour her legacy.</p><p>"As parents of someone who has lost a child, I think I can speak for anyone in our shoes. The biggest fear is that you&rsquo;ll never hear someone else say their name again,"&nbsp;Grace's father, Greg, said at the meeting.&nbsp;</p><p>The committee voted unanimously to move the proposal forward, and Cobourg City Council will be voting on the agenda item on April 30.</p>