Connecticut High School Hockey Team Raise Funds For Fallen Heroes
Guilford High School Ice Hockey Booster Club has donated $2,568 to benefit the Coast Guard Foundation’s Fallen Heroes Fund and Scholarship Fund. The donation was a result of the ice hockey team’s ‘Holiday Hockey Invitational’ hosted on December 27-30 at Yale’s David S. Ingalls Rink in New Haven.
The tournament drew teams from Connecticut, Massachusetts and Maine over the multi-day event. In addition to each team’s donation, the booster club collected donations in lieu of game admission fees.
“We chose the Coast Guard Foundation after considering the far-reaching scope of the vital services the Coast Guard provides our shoreline community, state and nation,” said Ralph Russo, the boys’ team coach. “We are more aware and appreciative of these services due to the positive contributions of active and retired Coast Guard members and their families who live in our community.”
Loralyn Cropper, Regional Director of Philanthropy, Northeast, received the donation from Ralph Russo, Boys Ice Hockey Coach, and Kyle Dwyer and Rick Sandella, senior team captains, in a presentation at Guilford High School on February 16.
Guilford Boys’ Ice Hockey team (photos by Kelley Fryer | The Courier)
“It is with tremendous gratitude that I accept this gift on behalf of the Coast Guard Foundation and the Coast Guard members and families who will benefit from the generosity of the Guilford High School ice hockey team and the teams that participated in the holiday tournament. Thank you for making a real difference for those who serve,” said Cropper.
The Fallen Heroes Fund provides emergency assistance to the families, friends and shipmates of those Coast Guard heroes who die in the line of duty, and ensures they are never forgotten by being there to cover the ongoing needs of their families, including the cost of college for the children.
