Hockey Volunteer

Hockey is an wonderful sport, I think we'd all agree. Being fans of the game, it's not a point I figure would bring up much debate with the group who reads hockey blogs. Despite being a very physical and at times violent sport, the men who play the game (for the most part) are some of the most well-mannered gentlemen you'll meet. The duality has always intrigued me. I find that many of it's fans tend to be well-mannered, giving folks as well.

This brings me to an e-mail I received a couple of weeks ago (I've been meaning to mention it, but with the holidays here in the U.S. and being on vacation, things were slid to the back burner). I'll share with you the majority of it:

A few days ago, the NHL donated 6 autographed items (including an NHL hat signed by members of the 08-09 Dallas Stars team) in support of my new initiative: "The Hockey Volunteer" , which has been founded to bring hockey to kids in underprivileged parts of the world and share happiness and the virtues of hockey with them, one puck at a time.

This dream venture officially began less than a month ago, but for me, it unofficially began 2 years ago when I was hired by the New York Islanders to work on their Project Hope initiative that focuses on Northestern China. Through Project Hope I got to see first-hand how hockey can vastly improve the lives of children, and I want to share that joy with children all around the world.

The first destination I will be traveling to will be in Ladakh, a region in the Indian (disputed) state of Jammu and Kashmir (yes, Kashmir) in the Himalayas. Over the past few weeks, support has been pouring in from all around the real and digital world, as coverage and donations have been increasing.

Upon my return, I plan to rapidly work towards expanding this program, and applying for grants from foundations, NGOs, governmental bodies, and increasing support from the NHL and IIHF.

My website (http://hockeyvolunteer.blogspot.com) describes in detail why I am doing this (my motivations, passions, and why Kashmir), the links to the ebay auctions, and links to the websites that have already shown support.

The gentleman doing this, Adam Sherlip, is trying to raise funds through auctions on his site, and through donations. The more money he raises translates into more equipment for these kids (they're in need of sticks & skates). He accepts donations straight through his website, and he's listed all of the items donated by the NHL on eBay, along with an autographed, Olympic game-used stick of Team USA star Angela Ruggiero.

I hope you'll all take a few minutes to visit his site and lend support to this worthwhile initiative. Visit him at his site and if you're on Twitter, follow him. Think about how much hockey has changed YOUR life, and imagine bringing that joy to an underprivileged child. Good luck with your work, Adam, and keep us posted here at Big D Hockey!