On Saturday, Jan. 24, the Detroit Red Wings Foundation, in partnership with Meijer, visited 810 Sports Complex in Flint to donate $15,000 to the Eastern Michigan Hockey Association (EMHA) as part of the Red Wings’ Centennial Rink Rehab Program.
EMHA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization which houses the Flint Jr. Firebirds youth hockey organization, skating out of 810 Sports Complex. EMHA manages 10 youth hockey teams from ages 6-16, and this donation from the Red Wings Foundation allows EMHA to open a Mini Mite program for aspiring youth hockey players ages 5 and under and eliminates the cost of equipment and ice time for participants’ families.
EMHA secretary Katie Hoffmeyer said the $15,000 donation lifts a heavy burden for families of aspiring hockey players in the Flint area.
“We are so thrilled to accept this donation and start this program here at 810,” Hoffmeyer said. “It’s something that we’ve wanted to grow. Having this (program) starting at a younger age and being able to provide families with the equipment they need is important. Hockey is pretty expensive, as we know, so not having to purchase equipment and commit to that before even knowing if their child will continue their hockey journey is super helpful.”
810 Sports Complex has been a staple in the Flint community for more than 50 years, and general manager Tom Garavaglia said the donation from the Red Wings Foundation will help the complex continue developing young people in the community.
“Having the Red Wings and Meijer come in to help us grow means a tremendous amount to us,” Garavaglia said. “Community is everything for us. We want to be a safe space for the community. We want people to know they have a place to go and have a good time as a family, and what better way to do that than through sports. With hockey being so engrained in our bloodlines, it means so much for us to have this funding to help grow the game.”
EMHA also shares 810 Sports Complex with the Flint Inner City Youth Hockey Program, which is a free program whose mission is to introduce hockey, teach how to skate and teach skills to kids who would otherwise not have an opportunity to be involved in this sport.
The Flint Inner City Youth Hockey Program was founded in 2010 by Rico Phillips, who won the NHL’s 2019 Willie O’Ree Community Hero Award and was featured by the Red Wings in 2022 during Black History Month.
Phillips, who attended the donation event and hosted a youth hockey clinic for nearly 100 youth participants from the Red Wings’ Little Wings Learn to Play program, said he’s thrilled anytime he can help provide access to hockey for young people in Flint.
“I couldn’t be more proud to share this great sport with so many kids who really wouldn’t have the opportunity without this program,” Phillips said.
While Phillips has directed the Flint Inner City Youth Hockey Program since 2010, he admitted he couldn’t do it alone. He specifically thanked Meijer for their partnership with the Red Wings Foundation in making the donation and helping keep programs like his alive.
“Grassroots hockey does not happen without corporate sponsorships and people interested in finding how they can help us in financial ways,” Phillips said. “As we all know, the cost of hockey can be quite expensive. What’s great about it is these kids who flourish in the sport get their start in a very grassroots way.”
Former Red Wings forward Brent Fedyk also attended the Jan. 24 event and said he loves interacting with the metro Detroit community and the fanbase that embraced him early in his career.
“It’s great that the Red Wings are giving back to the community,” Fedyk said. “Everybody in the metro area supports our team very well, so it’s important that we give back and have that fanbase for life.”
Fedyk was drafted by the Red Wings in 1985 and played the first five years of his NHL career in Detroit. After playing five more seasons for three different teams, Fedyk retired from the NHL and returned to metro Detroit, eventually starting a Learn to Play Program of his own in Grosse Pointe.
“I made my home in the Detroit area and we’re giving back to the community today,” Fedyk said. “I think it’s very important that we do give back to the community. I’m happy to be here today, and I think it’s a very good cause.”
The Red Wings Foundation will continue donating to local rinks throughout the Centennial Season as part of the Centennial Rink Rehab program. Stay tuned to DetroitRedWings.com and the Red Wings’ social media channels to see which rink gets rehabbed next.
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