Mission
HP4K’s mission is to harness the leadership, enthusiasm, and public goodwill of the most exceptional people playing professional hockey in communities throughout North America, and use it to positively impact the lives of local children. Further developing the athletes themselves as role models is vital to this goal, and HP4K will act as a forum to encourage and foster the personal growth and development of its members.
Who We are and What We’re Doing
HP4K currently has 30 members in 15 cities across North America. This group of well educated athletes would like to channel the public attention and goodwill that their sport receives towards helping the children in their communities. As the constant relocation associated with a life in pro hockey can make it difficult to become engaged in the community, HP4K will provide a network for its members, offering resources and opportunities that will allow them to make the greatest positive impact.
Some of the things our members are currently participating in:
Ronald McDonald House In Charleston, Cincinnati, and Fresno, members have attended activities evenings, engaging kids and families in some fun distractions at difficult points in their lives.
YMCA We have partnered with this organization to help with after-school programs. Our focus has been to develop lessons based on sportsmanship, positive thinking, etc. (Followed by some serious floor hockey action, of course).
Local Children’s hospitals We are becoming involved in group sessions on communication skills and conflict resolution at the Psychiatric Care Unit of the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.
Child Hunger Alliance We have partnered with this group to plan a ‘Cincinnati Pond Hockey Fundraiser’ for the Fall of 2009.
Big Brother’s Big Sister’s We have partnered with Big B&S in Charleston, and are donating extra hockey tickets to the organization. This is a fun activity for Big Brother’s and Sister’s to attend with their kids, and we are hoping to expand this program to other cities in the future.
If you are part of a school, youth program, or organization that engages children and think HP4K could help out, please contact us with your ideas at info@HP4K.org, we would love to hear new ways to increase our impact.
How we got our start
Starting playing juniors in Alberta, to playing NCAA at Princeton University, to playing minor pro in Fresno and now Cincinnati, I’ve been extremely fortunate to meet some unbelievably dedicated and talented people. I became passionate about management working as an engineer, and developed a firm belief in the principle that the most important piece of any organization is finding the right people. Since I already had a network of the ‘right’ people, I began to think about what we could do.
Putting my engineering career on hold to return to play hockey, I made a commitment to myself that I would get involved in the community as much as possible. I was surprised at how enthusiastic others were to be a part of the things I was doing, and how easy it was to get support from local youth organizations, the Fresno Falcons organization, and the other players on the team. I shopped the idea of forming a network around to some hockey buddies, and all of the most exceptional people I had gotten to know over the years were the first to jump on board. We have the right group of people, and we’re all excited to begin making a difference.
Dustin Sproat, Cincinnati Cofounder
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We were born to manifest the glory that is within us. All of us. And as we let our light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear our presence automatically liberates others.”
-Nelson Mandela