Jack Vissar is the equipment manager for USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program. He always tossed broken hockey sticks in the trash. Then, he found a new use for smashed and shattered twigs.

That new life for old sticks was created by John Ufland and Eric Bourgoujian. They were tired of watching players and equipment guys such as Jack toss expensive broken carbon hockey sticks into the trash bin. They wondered if the sticks could be reused in some way, leading them to create Requip’d. The organization partnered with teams and manufacturers in the U.S. and Canada to not simply recycle but to upcycle old sticks to create barbeque sets.

Once this idea recorded winning goals, John and Eric added bottle openers, snow brushes, plungers and a goalie paddle ring toss game to the product line. Requip’d repurposed more than 100,000 sticks. The organization worked with USA Hockey plus the NHL, AHL, ECHL and the NCAA. About a year ago, the guys sold the operation to ABLE Force (Richboro, Pennsylvania), a nonprofit that employs adults with special needs. The game plan did not change for the used sticks. The mission is to continue to repurpose tossed hockey sticks into unique items.

The partnership between the organization, which provides employees with meaningful jobs, and the leagues is a win-win. USA Hockey’s program initially prevented almost 600 sticks from filling landfills. Now, the number has risen to about 5,000. Add that number to the countless additions made by the college and pro leagues.

So, if you’re looking for a unique holiday gift for that hockey player or fan, get into the game and pick up an item upcycled from a used hockey stick.

Audrey Soape had lost her father to a tragic accident. She was just 11 years old at the time and now she would not be able to attend a father-daughter dance with her dad. Audrey asked her mom, Holly, to take her. Trying to ease her daughter’s sadness, Holly came up with the idea to contact the family’s favorite athlete and ask if he would escort the girl to the church dance.

That pro player is Anthony Harris. Now a free safety with the Denver Broncos, he was with the Philadelphia Eagles at the time. Holly is from Minnesota and she had followed Anthony’s career since he first played for the Vikings. Holly respected Anthony as an athlete and also for his deep religious faith. Periodically, Holly had sent Scriptures and uplifting messages to Anthony on social media. He often responded to her.

The family lived in Texas. Holly sent a message to Anthony and explained Audrey’s situation. Then, she asked if Anthony would consider escorting her daughter to the dance.

No doubt Anthony receives hundreds of requests along with many other professional athletes. At the time, he was focused on football. But, while not a father, Anthony is an uncle. The message got him thinking about his niece and nephew and what he would do for them if they faced a similar situation.

Anthony immediately replied to Holly, indicating that he would escort Audrey if football, specifically a playoff game, did not take preference. It all worked out for Anthony and Audrey.

The team did not have a game. Anthony sent money for a dress and to cover hair and makeup expenses. On the day of the dance, he flew to Austin and drove to the Soape’s home. He placed a corsage on Audrey’s wrist and posed for photos with the family.

At the dance, Holly’s friends didn’t know anything about Anthony. But, their fathers recognized Anthony and thanked him for escorting Audrey. Anthony and Audrey danced, talked and laughed. They participated in a scavenger hunt and Anthony even gave Audrey some football tips for her flag football team.

Audrey’s hero (Molly’s too!) manages The Anthony Harris Foundation to serve at-risk youth. He said he was honored to be asked to escort Audrey. She said that he made her feel “super special, and it was just amazing. I will never forget it.”

From the many photos taken of them that day, neither will Anthony.

Tim Howard, the U.S. Soccer Foundation, the City of Yonkers and a corporate sponsor recently opened a mini-pitch at the city’s Pelton Park. Among the participants at the ribbon cutting were students from the local Boys & Girls Club. The event launched the Tim Howard Foundation to provide resources, experiences and opportunities for children facing challenges in their families or communities. The foundation also supports youth with Tourette Syndrome and associated disorders.

Tim is a former U.S. Men’s National Team goalkeeper from New Jersey. When he left the game, Tim held multiple records, including 121 caps (when competing internationally, the number of appearances by a player for a national team), 119 starts, 62 wins and eight World Cup appearances.

The Yonkers mini-pitch project was funded by Tim’s foundation and corporate donations. Mini-pitches are artificial turf or hard surfaces surrounded by a rebound board system with integrated goals. The ball remains constantly in-play and the field generates greater soccer engagement with increased ball contact, more in-game decisions by players and more goals to create a faster, more intensive experience than a game on a regular pitch. Techniques, movement and reaction speeds can be tested on a mini-pitch.

The Pelton Park mini-pitch marked the latest project by the U.S. Soccer Foundation’s “It’s Everyone’s Game” national movement to ensure children in underserved communities enjoy the health and youth development benefits of the game. The U.S. Soccer Foundation has installed more than 500 mini-pitches nationwide with the goal to install 1,000 by 2026. The field transforms a location by enabling sports to be played in a small space.

Everyone involved with the Yonkers ceremony during September praised the success of another public-private partnership to benefit our youth and our communities.

No matter how often fun, fun, fun as a group is celebrated in Beach Boys surfing songs, the sport is a lonely one. Surfing is a solitary journey as the surfer tries to catch a wave to sit on top of the world. This secluded ride on a board at the ocean’s roar has embraced Dan Fischer for many years.

The loneliness for Dan was altered a few years ago. He now casts his eyes over thousands of names etched on his surfboard as he rides the waves along the beaches of Rhode Island. His boards are covered with the names of people who have died, mostly from cancer, and who shared his love of the ocean.

Dan created the One Last Wave Project this past January. He captures the healing power of the ocean to help people celebrate the lives of parents, siblings, partners, children and friends. He was in the same boat, or on the same board, during 2019. Coping with the loss of his father, Dan etched Karl’s name on his board. They had shared a love of the ocean and of adventure—mountain climbing, paragliding, hockey and cycling. Soon after, Dan’s dog died and he etched Rudy’s name on the board.

As Dan remembered his father and dog, he recorded a video from a beach near Newport and shared it on social media. He offered to etch names onto his boards to honor people who have passed away and to celebrate their lives. He takes the boards into the water to catch the waves while, in a spiritual way, memorializing each person who enjoyed the ocean.

Dan’s first two boards contain 3,500 names. The third board that he took to the water over the Memorial Day weekend contained the recently added name of Kinley Sexton. She, too, loved the ocean, according to her mother, but the love affair was short. Kinley died from an aggressive brain tumor at age six just a few years ago.

Dan regularly receives names to add to his boards through email and social media (learn more and contact Dan on the project website. He plans to continue to add names to surfboards for as long as this tribute resonates and helps the people who have remained behind to mourn their losses.

Maybe you heard about this story from January as wintry weather passed through the northeast. A high school football coach followed a school tradition. His players learned about the importance of “giving back” and the school’s bonds with the community were strengthened through their acts of kindness.

The weather in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, forced cancellation of the team’s scheduled weight lifting practice. But, the team still got together to shovel, for free, the snow from driveways and walkways of neighbors who required some assistance.

In a tweet posted on January 16, Bethel Park High School Head Football Coach Brian DeLallo wrote: “Due to expected severe weather, Monday’s weightlifting workout has been canceled.  Find an elderly or disabled neighbor and shovel their driveway.  Don’t accept any money – that’s our Monday workout.”

A previous coach, Jeff Metheny, started the community activity more 20 years ago. Brian just was following the trail blazed by Jeff. No doubt that the new players, under his guidance and the support of older teammates, quickly learned that there is more to life than football.

Student-athletes David Shelpman, 16, and Aidan Campbell, 17, were among the 40 teammates who moved snow for neighbors. David shoveled for about seven hours and Campbell toiled for about five hours. When he put his shovel aside, David and his mom volunteered to serve a spaghetti dinner for homeless veterans.

Helping his neighbors “makes me feel like a part of something bigger than myself,” said David. “I definitely always do feel good about being able to help others out.”

As the players cleared snow, they enjoyed many opportunities to interact with their neighbors. Education and sports are important to Bethel Park, and Mother Nature’s winter blankets showcases the kindness of its young residents.

Everyone enjoyed opening day during May for the Beautiful People baseball league in Orange County. Following the lifting of COVID restrictions, players were able to have some outdoor fun, see old friends, meet other players for the first time and return to the large grass field, the rubberized field and the tee-ball field.

Beautiful People is pleased, as we all are, to begin to place the pandemic far away from the ballpark. The 14-year-old charity unites athletes, parents and volunteers. It is part of the national adaptive baseball Miracle League. The local organization recently added soccer, basketball and cheerleading to its programs.

For some athletes, such as Parimala, this was their first time on these ball fields and possibly their initial exposure to baseball. Meanwhile, a boy in a Day-Glo orange shirt quickly donned a helmet, clutched his bat and ran with old friends toward one of the fields. Elsa, a black lab service dog accompanied nine-year-old Kenny to most places on the field but stood back and only watched as the boy spun his motorized wheelchair to catch the ball when he played first base.

The 120 athletes in the league are from towns throughout Orange but also from Sullivan County and New Jersey. They have autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, epilepsy and other health concerns. The games are not just for children. Since programs for older youth and adults are limited, the players’ ages range from six to 32.

Beautiful People attempted a variety of virtual programs over the last year. Some were more successful than other online activities. The goal was to keep the community engaged during the pandemic and provide a vital outlet and release for the athletes and their parents.

COVID reduced the number of “buddies” to shadow the players now that they are back on the field. The preferred ratio of adults to players at Beautiful People is one-to-one but that is not possible right now. The loss of volunteers is an issue that all nonprofits have endured during the pandemic. League organizers hope the ratio quickly will adjust during the coming months.

It’s one step at a time, with the first day on the fields on a warm Sunday featuring plenty of whoops and cheers.

It’s nice to be back!

Eddie Feigner never played a major league baseball game. But he became famous as a barnstorming showman with his four-man softball team.

Eddie’s team, known as the King and His Court, traveled around the world, similar to basketball’s Harlem Globetrotters. Along with Eddie, the team only fielded a catcher, first baseman and shortstop. Spanning more than five decades beginning during 1946, the team played approximately 10,000 games in all 50 states and more than 100 countries for 200 million fans. Many from Long Island, Queens, Brooklyn, The Bronx and Westchester recall seeing Eddie hold court.

The former U.S. Marine, whose pitches were clocked as fast as 104 miles per hour, was known for throwing from behind his back, between his legs while kneeing and blindfolded. A 2002 list of the 10 greatest pitchers featured Eddie along with Major League Baseball Hall of Famers Walter Johnson and Sandy Koufax.

Eddie’s most impressive feat may have been when he struck out six straight major league hitters during an exhibition game at Dodger Stadium during 1967. The batters were the top stars of the time—Willie Mays, Roberto Clemente, Brooks Robinson, Willie McCovey, Maury Wills and Harmon Killebrew. Each player won a Most Valuable Player award during the 1960s, and all but Maury are enshrined in the Hall of Fame.

To honor his service as a U.S. Marine, Eddie and his team often played against military personnel at bases and on the decks of aircraft carriers. Considerable amounts of ticket profits were donated to charity. Following Operation Desert Storm, Eddie placed veteran support as the chief charity for game proceeds.

Eddie made light of his relative unknown status in the sports world. When Sports Illustrated named him the most underrated athlete of his time during 1972, he replied, “I’m a pipsqueak because I’m caught in a nothing game. It’s like being a world-champion nose-blower.”

Eddie has been gone for about 14 years, but he remains vivid in the memories of so many fans and the many others he helped with the proceeds from the games.

The girls of Long Island have great friends at Girls on the Run. The local council of Girls on the Run International is providing our young ladies with virtual and in-person programs during these unusual times.

Girls on the Run delivers a physical, activity-based, positive youth development program for girls from third to eighth grades. The girls who participate in the programs develop and improve competence, become more confident in themselves, develop strength of character, respond to others and themselves with care, create positive connections with peers and adults, and positively contribute to their community and society.

More than 100 girls in Nassau and Suffolk counties participated in last fall’s programs. All sessions are led by trained volunteer coaches.

Practices during the eight-week program are held outdoors. Participants and coaches maintain social distance and employ proper sanitary/protection materials that adhere to local COVID-19 guidelines. When weather isn’t favorable, rain dates or virtual lessons mirror in-person lessons.

Girls on the Run also offers financial assistance for families on a tight budget to ensure that no girl is unable to participate in the program.

Parents have been positive about the Girls on the Run programs. A mom of a fourth-grade student noticed “a very positive change in her overall attitude and behavior.” Another parent of a fifth-grade student indicated that her daughter “really enjoyed it and looked forward to going to practice very Wednesday and Friday.

Learn more about Girls on the Run Long Island at www.gotrlongisland.org . Besides girls for the programs, the organization seeks women and men as volunteers for a number of opportunities, including team coaches.

Congratulations to everyone who supports this wonderful program for the girls of Long Island.

On March 4, 1982, Rocky was born to New York Jets defensive tackle Marty Lyons and his wife. Marty recalls that the moment was a tremendous joy.

Unfortunately, tragedy struck the Lyons family during the following days. His father died from a heart attack at the age of 58. Two days later, a boy of five who Marty served as a Big Brother, died from leukemia.

What should have been a happy time for Marty instead left him shaken. Known for his toughness on the field, he now was searching for answers.

Eventually, Marty realized that highs and lows are part of life. Then, he said, it dawned on him that “this was the platform God gave me, to play in the NFL, and use that platform to help terminally ill children.”

The pain now made sense to Marty and it gave him a purpose beyond professional football.

The Marty Lyons Foundation began later that year. The organization’s mission is to grant wishes to children between three and 17 years old who have a terminal or life-threatening illness. Wishes can be a trip to Disney World or a laptop for schoolwork from the hospital.

Marty clearly remembers the first wish that came to the foundation. The young man, Steven, hoped to attend the Super Bowl in Tampa when the Oakland Raiders played the Washington Redskins.  Marty asked the Jets organization for guidance. The Jets organized a press conference to announce that they would be granting the wish and raised awareness for the new foundation. Unfortunately, Steven passed away before the foundation granted his wish. Despite only briefly knowing each other, Steven impacted Marty’s life.

Steven was proud to be the first wish for the new foundation. The boy’s father, shortly after his son died, gave Marty some insight on how to proceed — “Just remember one thing: do it because you want to do it. Don’t do it because you want to read about it.”

Close to 40 years later, Marty’s foundation now has operations in 13 states. Almost 8,000 children have received their wishes. Hundreds of wishes await funds to be granted.

The foundation actively is fundraising and seeking donations as the number of wishes far exceeds the financial resources provided by donations. Ninety percent of all donations are dedicated to the wish program.

Marty accomplished much on the field, placing him in the Jets Ring of Honor. His legacy, though, will be his work with the foundation, though he insists his contributions are nothing compared to the young people who are fighting life-altering diseases. He always states that the boys and girls who pass away are teachers and that the rest of us need to take the time to develop relationships with them and listen to their messages.

“The Grizzlies” is a recent film that tells the inspiring true story about a town that suffered the highest suicide rate in North America. The residents found hope through the introduction of a lacrosse program for their teens.

Back during 1998, a recent college graduate (the film character Russ Sheppard) takes a job as a history teacher at Kugluktuk High School in the Canadian Arctic territory of Nunavut. Russ, a Caucasian, found that many of the Native students didn’t attend classes. They drank or took drugs, and the suicide rate was high. Crosses in the cemetery multiplied at an alarming rate.

Russ played lacrosse in college. He wondered if the game would give the kids a focus in life. He started a hard sell to spark interest, first speaking with the school’s principal and then promoting the program among the students with a flyer.

Russ was naïve about the culture. One girl helped him. She said that if he convinced two specific students to try lacrosse, the others would follow their lead. She told Russ to approach the students personally to show respect, rather than just hand them a flyer.

Russ learned that the problems faced by the teens extended into the home. Poverty, hunger, domestic violence and homelessness were part of the equation. One parent was drunk on the couch, forcing a student to forage for food for himself and a little brother. The girl helping Russ was abused at home. Another boy witnessed his father’s abuse of his mother.

These troubled teens, each suffering with his or her own problems, eventually found lacrosse as a new kind a family. Russ learned as much from his students as they from him. It’s the teens who build the team and keep it together.

“The Grizzlies” tells an interesting tale that brings a teacher and teens together through the sport of lacrosse. I would be interested in learning more about the actual teacher and his students who are the subject of this film, and where they are today.