Wyomissing, Pa. (Nov. 17, 2008) – When the Alvernia Ice Hockey Team took on Dickinson College on Sunday, 20 children from the South Reading Youth Initiative came to cheer them on. The kids were excited throughout the entire game, absorbing the atmosphere of the rink and cheering for the Crusaders who defeated the Red Devils, 7-3.
There was a two-fold reason as to why the SRYI was at the game on Sunday. Not only were they there to enjoy the game, but they were also there to participate in the Turkey Drive, an annual event here at Alvernia. Representatives from the group took turns standing with signs and cans to collect for the Turkey Drive. As Thanksgiving approaches, the kids had boxes to stack canned goods and cans to collect money. They were cheerful and animated throughout the night, and very thankful and appreciative of all donations.
When they weren’t standing at the doors to collect, the kids were on the bleachers cheering. They had game programs to look up players’ jersey numbers and match them with names of players. They were thrilled to be able to cheer for their favorite players by name. As can be expected, they were extremely excited when players came up to the glass right in front of where they were seated. The kids were ecstatic each time AU scored a goal. Head Ice Hockey Coach, Tom O’Connell, commented, “That was awesome. It was really nice of the kids to come. It was great to see some excited young faces in the crowd.”
All in all, it was a very fun-filled day for the SRYI. They were able to cheer for the AU Ice Hockey Team and participate in the Turkey Drive all at the same time. The highlight of the day, however, came just as the buzzer sounded for the end of the game. One of the officials skated over to where the kids were sitting and handed a puck to one of the boys. He was ecstatic to have his very own puck with the Alvernia logo on it. All the kids crowded around him and wanted to hold the puck.
Jessica Umbenhauer, Project Coordinator for the Holleran Center for Community Engagement, is in charge of organizing different events for the SRYI kids. She has said of the experience, “The kids really enjoyed the hockey game. They were excited about cheering for the Alvernia team as well as collecting donations for Alvernia Turkey Drive. It taught them a great lesson that they can help people in need and have fun at the same time.”
The SRYI will be collaborating with the Men’s Basketball Team next as part of a tri-fold experience starting in early February.