Former NHL star helps 2 Sauk Rapids girls play hockey, will speak at Sauk Rapids-Rice High School on Nov. 23

SAUK RAPIDS — Brent Pakkala started out wanting to help one girl.

He could end up helping a number of kids in the area play hockey … and it started on Twitter.

Since the end of July, Pakkala has been able to raise enough money to help two girls from the same family to play this season when they thought they would not be able to afford it.

He has done it with an assist from former NHL All-Star Theo Fleury and the a few of several of Fleury’s followers on Twitter.

Fleury, who is based in Alberta and has not been to Central Minnesota before, will try to help more kids on the weekend of Nov. 22-24.

He plans to meet the girls and attend one of their games, give a one-hour speech at 3 p.m. Nov. 23 at the Performing Arts Center at Sauk Rapids-Rice High School and attend the St. Cloud State hockey games that weekend.

Tickets to hear Fleury speak cost $20 and all proceeds will go to the Minnesota Youth Foundation, which helps families struggling financially pay for to play hockey.

“(Fleury) said, ‘I want to talk to your community about helping those in need and helping people out,’” Pakkala said of a conversation they had in early August. “(Fleury said), ‘I want to make it big and make it beyond this year. I want to do what we can.’

“I said, ‘Theo, I’m a fifth-grade teacher. I don’t know how to do this kind of stuff.’ He said, ‘Well, let’s have at it. Let’s get on it.’”

It started in July
The association of Fleury and Pakkala began in July. Pakkala was coaching an Under-10 girls softball team that his daughter, Callie, and her friend, Hannah Trelfa, played on.

Hannah became friends with Callie last winter when the two were on the same Sartell/Sauk Rapids U10 girls hockey team.

Pakkala asked Hannah if she wanted to try softball and she had a good season. Michelle Trelfa, Hannah’s mom, went in to the dugout to talk to the coaches on the last day of softball.

“She just walked in to thank us for getting Hannah involved in softball and that she had had a lot of fun,” Pakkala said. “She said that Hannah really needed this, particularly since she can’t play hockey this year.”

Michelle and her husband, Mike, had separated and the couple has six girls. Michelle is working on a master’s degree in gerontology and Mike is a disabled veteran.

Three of their girls wanted to play hockey this winter, but the family was going to be able to pay for one, 12-year-old Abby, to play.

“I talked to my dad and he was offering to pay for Abby to play and he said he knew that it was hard, but Abby is the oldest and closest to high school, and at that age, a team sport can help kids in a lot of ways,” Michelle said. “He said, ‘It’s up to you.’ It’s a lot of money and I thought, as long as one is in, it’s great.

“They have scholarships available and they try to help as many families as they can,” Trelfa said of Sauk Rapids Youth Hockey Association. “It helps pay for about 50 percent (of monthly ice costs), which is awesome and we’ve been fortunate to have that.”

It ate at Pakkala, though, that even with scholarship help, only one Trelfa would be able to play hockey. One of the problems was that when Pakkala found out about the problem, it was July 30th and there were hockey dues that were due on July 31.

Pakkala has been a fan of Fleury’s since Fleury played junior hockey in the Western Hockey League. Pakkala grew up in Kirkland, Wash., and had seen Fleury play for Moose Jaw when they played in Seattle.

In recent years, Pakkala had followed Fleury (@TheoFleury14) on Twitter and, to his surprise, Fleury had been following him. Because they were following one another on Twitter, Pakkala was able to send direct messages to Fleury that only he could see.

Pakkala was hoping that Fleury might be able to direct him to a website or an organization that might be able to help. Instead, Fleury responded and told Pakkala to tell his story, 140 characters at a time, and Fleury would re-tweet all of them and then Fleury posted the whole story on his Facebook page.

Pakkala had found out in talking further with Michelle that their younger daughter, 9-year-old Hope, also wanted to play. They set a goal of $870. Within 30 minutes, they had raised $500.

Read the entire story from teh Source @ http://www.sctimes.com/article/20131111/SPORTS/311110004/Social-media-Fleury-help-raise-money-family

PITTSBURGH —Eight-year-old Matthew Jacko says he wants all kids to smile. On Thursday, it was his turn.

PHOTOS: SIDNEY CROSBY FULFILLS YOUNG PENS FAN’S DREAM

Eighteen months after being diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor, 8-year-old Matthew Jacko was in the Penguins locker room talking to his favorite player, captain Sidney Crosby.

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MONROEVILLE BOY ON HOSPICE CARE: “LAUGHTER IS THE BEST…
Matthew Jacko
Matthew Jacko, 8, wants every child at Children’s Hospital to have a toy stuffed monkey that he hopes to hand-deliver.

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SIDNEY CROSBY FULFILLS YOUNG BOY’S DREAM

Matthew Jacko says he wants all kids to smile. On Thursday, it was his turn, when he got to meet his favorite hockey player inside the Penguins’ locker room.

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Eighteen months after being diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor, there he was in the Penguins locker room talking to his favorite player, captain Sidney Crosby. (Photos: Matthew Jacko meets Sidney Crosby)

Wearing a Crosby T-shirt and accompanied by his parents, Matthew and his family toured the locker room and got to take in practice at Consol Energy Center. The night before, they watched as the team’s guests as the Penguins defeated the Bruins 3-2.

The Penguins found out about Matthew after a story by Channel 4 Action News’ Kelly Brennan aired last week. During the interview, Matthew wore a Penguins T-shirt and said Crosby was his favorite player.

It was 18 months ago when Matthew’s parents noticed he wasn’t running like he used to at his baseball game and he started to slur his speech. Within 12 hours of his arrival at Children’s Hospital, he was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor.

VIDEO: Hockey hero scores smiles during Monroeville boy’s visit to Penguins locker rooms

Even though he’s been at home in Monroeville on hospice care, that hasn’t stopped him from helping other children.

He wants every child at Children’s Hospital to smile, like he does, when he holds his stuffed monkey toy, so he started a drive for people to sponsor a monkey toy. The proceeds will go to Matthew’s family to help with household expenses so his parents can stay home to spend Matthew’s remaining days with him. Matthew plans to hand-deliver the toys to the children.

Family friend Lisa Donnelly has set up the account online. For information, visit: http://fundly.com/grant-a-wish-by-finding-marble-friends.

Source: http://www.wtae.com/news/local/allegheny/hockey-hero-scores-smiles-during-monroeville-boys-visit-to-penguins-locker-room/-/10927008/22736106/-/59r3l8z/-/index.html#ixzz2kM2mFssT

BATON ROUGE – LSU athletics had 16 of its student-athletes volunteer with Big Buddy as the organization celebrated its 15th-annual Day of the Mentor Program last Friday which gave local elementary and middle school students a first-hand college experience.

The participants had the opportunity to shadow the LSU student-athletes representing four different programs, which included football, gymnastics, men’s tennis and softball.

After meeting their Little Buddies at breakfast, the LSU student-athletes rode the school bus to campus. The Little Buddies went to classes and toured the athletic facilities, where their Big Buddies compete and train. The day concluded with a special luncheon and goodbye ceremony.

“It was a great experience and also a chance to have a moment to realize all the people that care about the children in our society,” said football’s Jarvis Landry. “But most of all letting the children be a part of an environment that makes them comfortable.”

“I loved getting to spend the day with my little buddy and show here what it’s like to be a college athlete,” said volleyball’s Katie Lindelow. “I could really tell how much the children enjoyed having mentors and the difference it made in their lives.”

Big Buddy established the “Day of a Mentor” program in 1998 to bring awareness to the service of mentoring and to motivate members of the community to become involved and make a difference in the life of a child.

2013 Big Buddy Day of the Mentor Participants
A.J. Andrews – Softball
Boris Arias – Men’s Tennis
Odell Beckham Jr. – Football
John Michael Busch – Men’s Tennis
J.C. Copeland – Football
Katie Dunlap – Volleyball
Fehoko Fanaika – Football
Ericka Garcia – Gymnastics
Harrison Kennedy – Men’s Tennis
Jarvis Landry – Football
Katie Lindelow – Volleyball
Zach Mettenberger – Football
Eric Perez – Men’s Tennis
Chris Simpson – Men’s Tennis
Tam Trinh – Men’s Tennis
Laura Whalen – Volleyball

Source: http://www.lsusports.net/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=5200&ATCLID=209300850

Oct. 4, 2013: The American Cancer Society and Autism Speaks.

Over 300 Boston University student-athletes volunteered their time at two major charity events in the city on Sunday. The turnout was an amazing show of support for two of the Terrier’s most important chartable organizations, The American Cancer Society and Autism Speaks.

At the Hatch Shell on the Charles River Esplanade, more than 280 Boston University student-athletes assisted the American Cancer Society’s “Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk”. The Terriers took on various responsibilities at the event which raises more than $3 million each year with over 40,000 walkers participating annually. The student-athletes arrived at the Esplanade around 6 a.m. and were the first to interact with the walkers, registering all participants and tracking donations brought in throughout the day.

The community service outreach project was organized by the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). The American Cancer Society uses the annual event to raise awareness and donations in the fight against breast cancer.

“Each October, hundreds of Boston University student-athletes donate their time to help the American Cancer Society finish the fight against breast cancer,” said Tara Shea, planning specialist for Making Strides Against Breast Cancer. “Their enthusiasm and spirit are essential to the success of Making Strides in Boston.”

While the Making Strides Walk was going on at the Esplanade, the entire Boston University men’s hockey team continued its partnership with Autism Speaks by volunteering at the 13th annual Greater Boston Walk Now for Autism Speaks fundraising and awareness event at Suffolk Downs in East Boston. More than 18,000 people, including individuals with autism, their families and friends joined together at the event each year for the walk.

The men’s hockey team arrive at the event before 8 a.m. and assisted in various aspects of the day from setup to breakdown including registering walkers, speaking with participants and interacting with children and parents throughout the day. The Terriers’ captains also had the honor of helping cut the starting banner and lead the walk. During this upcoming season the BU men’s hockey team will continue to wear blue Autism Speaks puzzle-piece patches on their jerseys to help promote Autism awareness.

About Autism Speaks
Autism Speaks is the world’s leading autism science and advocacy organization. It is dedicated to funding research into the causes, prevention, treatments and a cure for autism; increasing awareness of autism spectrum disorders; and advocating for the needs of individuals with autism and their families. Autism Speaks was founded in February 2005 by Suzanne and Bob Wright, the grandparents of a child with autism. Mr. Wright is the former vice chairman of General Electric and chief executive officer of NBC and NBC Universal. Since its inception, Autism Speaks has committed over $180 million to research and developing innovative resources for families. Each year Walk Now for Autism Speaks events are held in more than 95 cities across North America. For more information about Autism Speaks click http://www.autismspeaks.org/

About Making Strides Against Breast Cancer and the American Cancer Society
Making Strides Against Breast Cancer is the largest network of breast cancer fundraising and awareness events in the nation, uniting nearly 300 communities to finish the fight. For 100 years, the American Cancer Society (ACS) has works to save lives and create a world with less cancer and more birthdays. Together with millions of our supporters worldwide, we’re helping people stay well, helping people get well, finding cures, and fighting back against cancer. For more information about the American Cancer Society click http://www.cancer.org/index

Source: http://www.goterriers.com/genrel/100413aac.html

The SUNY Oneonta student athletes have been doing their part lately, as they have been involved in various community service projects while raising money for breast cancer awareness. Nearly half of the varsity athletic teams were quite busy during the month of October in and around the greater Oneonta area.

The largest event for the student athletes was its annual leaf raking event in which they travel to local residences and businesses to help rake leaves for those older residents and business owners who can’t rake their own leaves. All tolled, SUNY Oneonta student athletes from eight teams raked a total of 43 residences and businesses during the week of Oct. 21-26. Student athletes from the cross country/track & field program, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s lacrosse, baseball and softball all contributed to the effort.

Link to photo gallery

This is what some of our student athletes had to say about their community service efforts,

Senior Kyle McCaleb (Baldwinsville/C.W. Baker), Cross Country/Track & Field:
“Helping our community, especially when the community supports us as much as ours does, is extremely important to our athletes, and is a great way to show our appreciation for the support we receive every day. Furthermore, realizing the importance of helping community members in need, and then acting on this realization, served to humble and educate our team, providing an important lesson in developing us into civic minded caring adults that our coaches, parents, and mentors would be proud of.”

Junior Nicole Brieva (Kings Park/Kings Park), Softball:
“This is my third year doing leaf raking, however, it is the first time I was actually able to talk to the owner of the home. Upon arrival, the team looked at each other in shock of how large the property was and how many leaves we had to rake! Soon, the owner, Gina, greeted us with donuts and apple cider. She told us a story about how her husband had passed two years ago and how he built their house himself. Her son visits once in a while and helps her with the landscaping, however, she usually does all of the work herself. She kept on saying to us that anything we do is a huge help to her, even if it we only did a little. Her energy and positivity made the experience even more fulfilling and it felt great to see not only how great the yard was once we were finished, but to see the appreciation in her smile.”

Senior Stefanie Rodriguez (Yorktown Heights/Yorktown), Lacrosse:
“Having the opportunity to help out around the community with my teammates was a wonderful experience. The community was more than appreciative of our efforts, which made the day very enjoyable. My teammates are already looking forward to the leaf raking project next fall.”

Senior Sean McMurray (Medford/Patchogue-Medford), Baseball:
“It was nice being able to do something for the town of Oneonta, and getting just getting to know the guys outside of a baseball setting made it that much better.”

Junior Zach Mager (New City/Clarkstown South), Basketball:
“It feels great giving back to the community and helping others, the guys had a great time raking and working together”

Senior Alyshia Crawford (Oxford/Oxford), Basketball:
“I feel as though leaf raking is a good way to get in touch with the community and help people who are in need of this service. This puts a positive idea on the athletics program and their willingness to help and be involved in the city of Oneonta.”

Along with the leaf raking, women’s volleyball and women’s soccer raised money for breast cancer awareness and research in support of breast cancer awareness month. The volleyball team held its annual Dig Pink Invitational tournament to support the AVCA’s Dig Pink Initiative while also selling t-shirts. The volleyball team has raised between $1,000-1,500 annually for this important initiative.

Women’s soccer held a “Score for a Cure” event during its final home weekend of the season where they received donations from those who attended their games on Friday and Saturday. The team raised $275 for their first time organizing such an event, which will be donated to breast cancer research.

In addition to the leaf raking, the softball team also helped Habitat for Humanity along with helping at the annual Oneonta Boys and Girls Club Halloween Party.

Source: http://www.oneontaathletics.com/news/2013/11/5/bb_1105130553.aspx