FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: AUGUST 24, 2023
Contact: Santino R. Thomas
(518) 949-4809 | [email protected]
Lansingburgh Connects Hockey Clash will benefit local community outreach program
EDITOR’S NOTE: Flyer with game schedule is attached to e-mail
ALBANY, N.Y. – Today, local non-profit, St. Catherine’s Center for Children announced it is hosting its first ever charity hockey tournament – the Lansingburgh Connects Hockey Clash – Thursday, September 7 through Sunday, September 10 at the Frear Park Ice Arena. This event is open to the public, with a suggested donation of non-perishable food items or personal hygiene items. The event, a four-team competition is named after the community outreach program it will directly benefit: Lansingburgh Connects. The program is a collective effort between St. Catherine’s, Lansingburgh Central School District and the Rensselaer County Mental Health Department.
“St. Catherine’s Center for Children has an ongoing effort to go out into the community and engage with those who need our services, right where they are: in the schools, in their neighborhoods and anywhere else we can help,” said Frank Pindiak, Executive Director of St. Catherine’s Center for Children (Agency). “The Lansingburgh Connects program is one of the most recent examples of that effort. Community outreach has proven to be an effective form of engaging those who need our services, rather than waiting for people to find us. The Lansingburgh Connects Hockey Clash will attract more attention to the program and the need for continued support from the community. We’re looking forward to folks coming out and supporting this event and this wonderful new program.”
The Lansingburgh Connects program links students and their families to vital mental health and social supports necessary to bolster student educational achievement and improve health and well-being. This program is provided at no cost and is available to all families within the school district.
“We’re very excited about this event,” said Michele Puleo O’Hare, Executive Director of the Foundation of St. Catherine’s Center for Children. “It’s unlike anything we’ve done before and we believe it will attract a lot of attention to the Lansingburgh Connects program. Our goal for our first year running this tournament is to draw attention and support to this new program. It’s already helping students and families in Lansingburgh and it has the potential to help many more. More community support will allow us to have a positive impact on an exponential number of families.”
“Lansingburgh Connects has been a huge success and of much benefit to the families of Lansingburgh. Many students and their families have received assistance from this collaboration and have been connected to valuable services and support,” said Joe Otter, Director of School Community Partnerships for Lansingburgh CSD. “The proceeds from the Hockey Clash will be of great help to our families and will directly benefit the community. We are grateful and excited to further this collaboration with St Catherine’s!”
The Lansingburgh Connects Hockey Clash will be between four local, adult hockey teams, with games on Thursday night, Friday night, all day Saturday, and the championship game on Sunday. A full schedule can be found below. Those interested in attending or sponsoring the event can contact Dori O’Neal at (518) 641-6802, or [email protected].
Game Schedule:
Thursday 9/7: 9:00 P.M. – 10:20 P.M.
Friday 9/8: 8:10 P.M. – 9:30 P.M.
Saturday 9/9: 11:00 A.M. – 12:20 P.M., 12:30 P.M. – 1:50 P.M., 5:00 P.M. – 6:20 P.M., and 6:30 – 7:50 P.M.
Sunday 9/10: CHAMPIONSHIP GAME – 12:30 P.M. – 1:50 P.M.
The willingness of St. Catherine’s Center for Children to embrace change and develop new services is, and will remain, our guiding philosophy as we support human service needs, throughout the region, by providing a comprehensive range of services designed to offer hope, foster growth and improve the lives of the children, families and adults we serve.
For more information, http://www.st-cath.org.
