This video was the culmination of many laborious hours (aka weeks) combing through months (aka years) of footage since my initial trip to the Himalayas in 2009. My incredible team at The Hockey Foundation wanted to make sure we did things right before we were finally ready to share what we consider a very special video.
"How Hockey Helps" is the product of 7+ years supporting ice hockey in...
Want to know all about The Hockey Foundation? Who we are, what we do, where we support? This video is the culmination of many years of supporting ice hockey in India and tells our story and the story of how hockey changes lives.
I just returned from Green Drinks NYC Island to Island Holiday Party (greendrinksnyc.org), where I met a handful of people as idealistic and enthusiastic as I am about my trip to India. It's very difficult to remain motivated through your idealism and passion when others can't understand, or flat-out insult, what you are trying to do (pessimism is one of the worst traits in people). Fortunately, when you meet peoplewith deep, vibrant enthusiasm and optimism - if not idealism - it's a blessing. Those are the people I am trying to call to action to support my cause!
YOU!
The praise and energy I received from people today will continue to motivate me through this journey, but I need your help. Please donate...I am looking to depart in less than 2 weeks!
Shout-outs to supporters that are putting positive energy into the Universe:
C.C. Chapman - Managing Partner of The Advance Guard - Blogger, Podcaster & all-around great guy (@cc_chapman, cc-chapman.com, theadvanceguard.com) - for giving some pointers and showing general support, and indirectly being responsible for this journey thanks to his podcast Managing the Gray (check it out on iTunes)!
Sammy - former schoolmate & teammate on the Red Dogs (college roller hockey team) for donating
Eric - also former schoolmate & teammate on the Red Dogs (college roller hockey team) for donating
Angela Ruggiero (mentioned many times on this blog) - she got me hired straight out of my internship with the Islanders specifically to work with her on Project Hope, and we remain close ever since. That is something I will be eternally greatful for, and I am proud to call her my friend. Get ready for Angela Ruggiero hockey camps!
Julie - one of my best friends in the world who has endured every stupid act and idea of mine, but still continues to support, for donating and being a loyal friend in so many ways!
The folks I met today at Green Drinks were amazing, and I am incredibly appreciative that I had the honor of meeting and speaking with you. There are a few in particular that really stood out, and in due time will get their shout-outs!
My Mother, for her understanding of the reasons why I need to do this.
*footnote:
"Realistic Idealist" is a phrase I have been using for some time now. John McCain used it in a speech during his campaign. Without getting into politics (although my political affiliation is probably apparent through my idealism, I did not start using it after him, and only realized he used it when I did a Google search on the phrase. What I'm saying is: John McCain copied me.
If you are interested in learning about my background with youth hockey development, in particular internationally, I would like to refer to you to Charles B. Wang Ice Hockey Project Hope (www.nyiprojecthope.com). I had the distinct pleasure of going to China with Angela Ruggiero (www.angelruggiero.com), 3-time Olympian for Team USA in hockey, former Apprentice (season 6) contestant, and all around amazing person. Together we visited the schools in Heilongjiang Province that we were providing hockey resources to. Here is our recap from the Project Hope website. Be sure to visit nyiprojecthope.com & browse around to get a clear understanding of how much hockey can improve a kids life! I hope after seeing some pictures and reading the messages from the kids, you will be interested in donating to my cause for kids in Ladakh to have a similar experience!
Project Hope Journal 1/22/07 By Angela and Adam
We're back from China, and after almost two weeks, what we miss the most is the hospitality. Everywhere we went (all 8 schools), we were greeted with open arms, by local and school officials, and many students that were supposed to be on winter break (but came back just to see us and spend some time on the ice). The outdoor rinks have become a center to the respective communities, and the kids in our Project Hope schools, (elementary school age) skate over 5 days a week! Their smiles on the ice made it easy to ignore that it was as cold and windy as the Great Lakes region. We took them through some basic skating and puck handling drills, and then we got into the fun, reminding everyone (including the adults standing around the rinks) that hockey, above all else, is fun.
Other than skating with the Project Hope students, we also had the opportunity to scout our prospective scholarship candidates in Harbin and Qiqihar. Twenty (about ten in each city) of the best teenage boys and girls skated their hearts out for over an hour, in an intense tryout. Not only were their hockey skills put to the test (and a fair amount of stamina testing to go along with it), but an interview was conducted in English to determine whether they were ready to study at a school for a full academic year. While their hockey skills were impressive, it was clear that everyone needed more work on English. Before anyone spends a full year in America, we'll bring over a few students for the summer in an intensive ESL program, allowing them to experience the United States first hand. The opportunity to play hockey will also be important, and the students will be able to put many hours of hard work on the ice, after they do so on paper.
In our meetings with local officials, it became clear how important Project Hope has become to the lives of so many people. In some cases, over 100 students get the opportunity to learn hockey at their school. Hockey has become a class worth academic credit, and in the best of scenarios, Project Hope hockey players have been given a clear path to success. In Qiqihar, a memo was issued on behalf of the Sports and Education Bureaus, mandating that a specific system be implemented to assist these scholar athletes any way possible. We hope that the civic governments in each area, along with the Project Hope schools, can follow suit, allowing more students the opportunity to play hockey, study English five days a week, and continue to receive the funding and support of their local governments.
Whether it was the center city of Harbin, Jiamusi and Qiqihar, or a surrounding town, each community had a unique culture. The sense of family and community dominates the social character and culture, and the group lunches and dinners gave us the opportunity to become members of the community. We spent a lot of time getting to know everyone personally (through a translator, of course), and found that while our cultures are as different as can be, there are some things that we all share in common. First, and most obvious, we're all human. Sometimes, we forget what that means, but it's important. Whether you live on Long Island or in Heilongjiang, everybody wishes to be happy and successful (culturally subjective), have a long life, and wish the same for our children. Going beyond that, we all love hockey. One of the many goals of Project Hope is to cross borders using hockey as the international language. It is a sport unlike anything in the world, requiring a whole new sense of transportation just to be able to communicate. As hockey history has proven, any team can be superior once the puck drops, as long as there is a balance of talent, discipline, structure, creativity and fun. This understanding of hockey is universal, and if it ever becomes less, it will no longer be hockey.
The success lies, though, on everyone involved in Project Hope. We will continue to build rinks and provide as much equipment as possible, but at the same time, we're requesting that anyone willing to help makes a donation or other contributions in support. There is information on the web page specifying how YOU can help.
Stay tuned for more news on Project Hope. We have an exciting future and many more plans. The next invitational is scheduled for January 17-18, 2008. ANY teams interested should fill out our form. Maybe we'll even sponsor a team to compete in China. Start working on your Chinese.
That post was from 2007, after we returned from China. Many of the things we wrote about in that letter is exactly what I wrote in my blog here, and once again, I need your support. If you can, please donate.
With the influx of help, I have been referred to some cheaper Indian travel websites, and can now look forward to round trip international airfare (JFK to Delhi) costing no more than $2000 (if booked soon!). Travel from Delhi to Leh (in Ladakh) would be around $100. Living expenses of $500-600 if I stay 30+ days.
That means right now, $2500 would be the bare minimum I can go over with, and anything additional would be contributed towards helping SECMOL!
The first place I am looking to teach hockey in is Ladakh, a region in the state of Jammu and Kashmir (Yes, that Kashmir!) in the Himalayas, through an organization called SECMOL (Students' Eductional and Cultural Movement of Ladakh).
"The Students' Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SECMOL) was founded in 1988 by a group of young Ladakhis with the aim to reform the educational system of Ladakh. Today our activities are extremely varied and numerous. We organize activities for Ladakhi youth, run a campus for students going to school or college in Leh, develop solar energy projects and much more.
Ladakh, the eastern part of Jammu and Kashmir state of India, is a high-altitude desert region, on the upper reaches of the Indus River. Until recently a somewhat isolated rural society, Ladakh has seen enormous and sudden changes since the 1960s, when the Indian government started having an impact on local life through defence activities (Ladakh shares borders with both China and Pakistan) and development activities such as schools, offices, and subsidies. The region opened to foreign tourism in 1974, and is a popular destination for trekkers as well as travellers visiting ancient Buddhist monasteries, and since 2000 domestic tourists have been coming too. It is also home to a large Tibetan community.
Ice hockey is hugely popular in Ladakh, but most kids from rural families do not get the chance to play, due to lack of skates and equipment. However, at SECMOL several dozen young people from rural villages have had the chance to skate and play ice hockey, thanks to equipment donated to SECMOL by friends around the world."
What does this means to me...
In so many ways, this IS the calling I was waiting for...As I have grown and matured, and dug deep into what is meaningful in my life, a few things became clear, hockey is a sport I can't live without (I had to start with that, since this is all about hockey), we have a planet in peril that we need to protect and conserve, and there is nothing more precious than our lives and the lives of others - and Buddhism is all about working through our suffering and attaining a life of enlightenment, and by extension, peace and love.
Being able to volunteer in the Himalayas, one of the most exotic places in the world, in the state of Jammu and Kashmir - which is religiously and politically divided - in a historically Buddhist community, around people that love hockey and utilize renewable energy, feel almost too good to be true.
PLEASE HELP...
Travel will cost at least $2,500-4,000 and my living expenses will be no more than $20 day (which includes housing) that will equal $600 (I plan to stay for a month!). So I am looking for $4,000 to cover this, and anything leftover will go to additional donations/support for SECMOL.
With your generosity, I want to provide more hockey resources to these people, equipment, nets, mini-zamboni (ice resurfacer), and warm clothing. Any contributions will be used towards these ends, and if you want to purchase and donate them to the cause, please do not hesitate to do so!
WHEN?...
The Winter season in Ladakh ends by February, so I am looking to depart as soon as enough money has been raised, before mid-January. Please help me provide these kids with hockey and donate now...ANYTHING you can donate would be great!:
So as I mentioned in my previous post, there was an innate sense of emptiness in what I was doing, even though it was through hockey. So now is the time to explain my calling...
SHARE HOCKEY WITH UNDERPRIVILEGED CHILDREN AROUND THE WORLD, SPREADING THE HAPPINESS, VALUES, AND CULTURE OF THE SPORT, ONE PUCK AT A TIME
And so, here is my Mission Statement:
As a deep believer in the good of man, and the power of sport, I vow to have fun and teach the basic values of hockey to kids around the world. I will keep a diligent log and journal - written, and sometimes video/photo - to share with others how unique, special, and amazing my immersion into different cultures and adventures into new habitats are. With the support of generous people and corporations, I will improve the lives of underprivileged children for as long as possible, and to the greatest reaches of my ability - but never alone.
