This entire season, players from the Cincinnati Cyclones have been regular visitors at Newport, KY’s Brighton Center, a community resource with outstanding afterschool programming. In November 2010, some of the HP4K guys spoke to the kids about the importance of focusing on getting a quality education and making good decisions throughout everyday life.

The kids really enjoy spending time with the local celebs and had many questions for them during their first visit. The experience was just as rewarding for the Cyclones and it didn’t take much time before they reached out to the Brighton Center once more for a chance to meet with the kids from their Youth Leadership Development (YLD) program.

On Thursday, February 10, the guys invited the YLD out to US Bank Arena to get a behind-the-scenes look at the workings of the entire organization and what it’s like to be a Cyclone.

“Job Shadowing is a wonderful feature we offer in the YLD program,” said Kristy Woods, YLD’s supervisor. “Opening the eyes of young people to all the wonderful possibilities this world has to offer and surrounding them with positive, adult partnerships is priceless.”

The kids were so excited to follow around HP4K member and team captain Barret Ehgoetz, along with Dustin Sproat, Kevin Roeder and Chase Watson. They learned about how the ice is made, how the Zamboni works, and they even got to walk out on to the rink. Everyone learned a little bit about what goes on in the marketing department, ticket sales, change-over crews, and everything else it takes to pull off an event like an ECHL hockey game.

Even the locker room was open and available for the kids. Here, the players explained the process of being called up or traded throughout the season, and filled the kids in on the fact that the logo in the center of the room is never to be walked on! They were shown the restaurant and the private suite given to the team for special events.

The whole day was a learning process for all involved. The players enjoyed every minute with the kids and look forward to working with the Brighton Center in the future!

“Having super cool folks like the Cyclones support us on our journey is truly a blessing!” said Woods.

This week kick-started a few Stick to Reading programs in elementary and middle schools across the country. Our first signature program is off to a great start and is already set to begin in even more schools later this hockey season!

In Rockford, Illinois, the Rockford IceHogs started their program in the new year with Kishwaukee Elementary school. HP4K member Kyle Hagel is in charge of the initiative and is looking forward to everything rolling out in the coming weeks. Today (January 4), Hagel held an assembly to introduce the program to the kids. Check out the full story here.

The Elmira Jackals are getting involved with Beecher Elementary and Ernie Davis Middle School this week and are planning to start Stick to Reading programs in two other school beginning in February and March. Brennan Turner will be their go-to Hp4K contact, but as most of the Jackals are involved with all of HP4K’s doings, it won’t be hard to find a pro player in Elmira involved with the program.

Even universities are excited about taking part in Stick to Reading! Princeton University’s men’s ice hockey team (pictured below) is working with three different elementary school classes to encourage literacy. The program began for them in December and runs until later this month. Checking in with Tigers’ forward Sam Sabky, it sounds like kids took advantage of their holiday break to keep racking up the pages.

“Things here are going very well. The kids read a ton over break and are still super excited about the program.” – Katie Federico, 3rd Grade Teacher, Princeton, New Jersey

To find out how YOU can quickly and easily start a Stick to Reading program in your community, click here. Good luck to all participating students and schools. Keep reading!

While spending time during the off-season in Cincinnati this summer, HP4K member Doug Krantz volunteered his time at The Boys and Girls Club of Greater Cincinnati’s Avondale U.S. Bank Club.

The Club’s annual Career Day was designed to give the kids some perspective on what it takes to succeed in different career paths. They were treated to presentations from local firemen, police officers, teachers, players from the Cincinnati Reds, and more.

“I was able to talk about my life and how hockey helped me achieve a first-class education while doing something that I love,” Krantz (an alum of Cornell University) said.

“The concept of playing college sports and using an athletic ability to further your education was something new to a lot of kids, and I was pleased to see they were starting to think about it. I stressed the importance of graduating from high school and setting goals along the way to achieving your desired career.

For me it wasn’t just: ‘I want to play in the NHL,’  it was about taking small steps to help achieve my main goal. I was able to interact with the kids a lot, answered their questions, and was happy to see how many of them were genuinely interested in what I had to say. I felt like I reached them and hopefully I made a difference.”

The Professional Hockey Players’ Association is the certified, US National Labor Relations Board collective bargaining representative for all professional hockey players within the American Hockey League (AHL), ECHL, and Central Hockey League (CHL). One of the largest Players’ Associations within the professional sports industry, the PHPA boasts approximately 1,600 Members across 67 teams throughout North America.

The Professional Hockey Players’ Association, through superior preparedness and experience, is committed to the enhancement and protection of Players’ rights, as its Members pursue advancement in the sport of professional hockey.

A big thank you to the PHPA for showing support for HP4K (information on their website, posted here)!

Camp Oochigeas (a.k.a. Camp Ooch) in Muskoka, ON (north of Toronto) provides fun and meaningful experiences to approximately 680 children affected by cancer each year at no cost to their families. All the campers who attend Camp Ooch are united by the common bond of cancer.

One of the most devastating things about childhood cancer is that it removes children from their peer group. Camp Ooch is a place where these kids can share their experiences, insights and dreams with other kids their age who understand them.

This summer, HP4K members Dustin Sproat, Ian Mcnally and Oren Eizenman went up to Camp Ooch and facilitated a special program for the campers that included a floor hockey teaching session, as well as a game.

“The kids really enjoyed the hockey program we put together,” said Eizenman, “and HP4K is already looking forward to keeping this partnership going in the summers to come.”

On July 19-23, HP4K members Ian McNally and Darroll Powe, along with Grade 2 teacher from Toronto, Marty Welch, organized a hockey camp in Princeton, NJ for kids ages 5-14.

“Forty kids who were eager to play and learn signed up,” McNally said, “and we all had a great time!” Click here to see photos from the camp.

Heroes required. All others need not apply.

We need your assistance to save a Yale University student’s life. Mandi Schwartz, a 22-year old member of the Yale women’s ice hockey team, has recently been diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia. She is currently back home in Saskatchewan undergoing chemotherapy, and within the next 60 days will need a stem cell transplant to survive. We have not yet located a donor who is a perfect match.

Under the leadership of Dr. Tedd Collins, a New Haven-based clinical immunologist, we are undertaking a world-wide search for cord blood and bone marrow donors. In addition to helping Mandi, these donors could also save the lives of many others with life-threatening illnesses. Dr. Collins has launched the “Become Mandi’s Hero” campaign to coordinate our efforts to find a donor.

HP4K’s own Brennan Turner has teamed up with Dr. Collins to reach out to communities across North America. We hope that you can help too. We are asking for assistance in locating potential donors.

Some of the best ways you can help are by doing any of the following:

• Learn more about the cause. Visit www.BecomeMandisHero.org and join the “Become Mandi’s Hero” Facebook group to learn about Mandi and the importance of being a cord blood or bone marrow donor. This is also the place to post messages of encouragement for Mandi, since her family checks it for her regularly while she is undergoing chemotherapy. You can also read some of the articles that have been written about Mandi by visiting www.yalebulldogs.com/mandi/

• Contact OB/GYN offices or delivery hospitals. Through the “One Hour Hero” program, we are asking volunteers to spend one hour contacting OB/GYN offices or delivery hospitals to explain what we are doing. You will then ask them if they would help us by giving our postcard brochure to expectant moms that fit our needs — those that will be having their babies within the next 60 days and will give birth to babies of Mandi’s ancestry. For more information, visit http://www.becomemyhero.org/Mandi_Schwartz/One_Hour_Hero.pdf.

• Donate the cord blood from your child’s birth. This process is free and harmless for all involved, and it could save a life. In many cases the umbilical cords that could save someone like Mandi’s life wind up getting thrown away. If you are expecting a child, visit www.BecomeMandisHero.org to learn more about the cord blood donation process.

• Spread the word about the importance of being a donor. Contact everyone you know — especially media outlets — to tell them Mandi’s story and how bone marrow or cord blood donation could help save lives. Use phone calls, e-mail, Facebook, Twitter and any other means you can think of to contact people. Refer them to www.BecomeMandisHero.net for further information. Note that donors of German, Russian or Ukrainian descent are most likely to be matches for Mandi, so we are particularly interested in reaching out to those communities.

• Join the bone marrow donor registry, and encourage others to sign up. The test to be a potential bone marrow donor is simple and painless — it consists of swabbing your cheeks. Websites such as www.marrow.org and www.onematch.com contain the necessary information for you to find a drive near you or to request a kit be sent to you.

We are hoping that by informing you of this urgent need, we will help save Mandi’s life and the lives of many others. We appreciate any help you can provide. If you have any further questions, or other ideas about how you can help, please e-mail info@BecomeMandisHero.net.

Kicks For Kids was founded in 1995 by Doug Pelfrey, a former Cincinnati Bengals’ kicker. The mission of the organization is to provide local, at-risk children with opportunities to pursue their dreams.

Recently, KFK purchased 16 acres of land in Fairfield, Ohio that will serve as its own youth complex, and KFK has invested nearly $1.25 million in the initiative. The property will enable KFK to increase its interactive programs by offering facilities that are accessible to children who have handicaps, as well as by providing first-class fields/courts that allow for the hosting of free, quality camps — beginning this summer with instructional sports camps. The goal for these new programs will be to improve children’s chances for success in athletics and in life.

This year’s 12th annual RGI River Run had nearly 1,000 participants and raised more than $30,000 for Cincinnati-area children’s charities. HP4K members Jimmy Kilpatrick, Doug Krantz and Scott Reynolds volunteered in the activities tent the day of the race, and even turned the ECHL’s Kelly Cup into a giant bubble solution holder.

On May 22, Cincinnati Cyclones players Dustin Sproat, Jamie Coghlan and Chris Morehouse, along with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers’ Brett Westgarth, spent time at the inaugural Youth Wellness Camp, presented by the Ndukwe Foundation. More than 200 children from nonprofit organizations in the Greater Cincinnati area participated in an interactive health expo and fitness camp led by the Foundation. NFL player Rocky Boiman and the Ignition Athletic Performance Group were also in attendance.

The Ndukwe Foundation was founded in 2009 and is dedicated to providing resources to help local communities establish lives enriched with wellness. Chinedum continually realizes the benefits of healthy living in his daily interactions and career, committed to educating youth on the benefits of healthy eating, staying active and setting goals to achieve optimal wellness.

HP4K’s Oren Eizenman and teammates organized a fun, finale celebration of the reading program Oren launched at Bristow Middle School in Stockton, California this spring by holding a floor hockey game in the school’s gym.

Students in sixth, seventh and eighth grade were challenged to read as much as possible between February 24 and March 30.

Top readers from each grade were awarded with the chance to play against the Stockton Thunder, and proceeds from all ticket sales from the event were donated back to Bristow’s reading program.

Congrats to everyone involved for putting together such a fun, successful community event!