Charitable Donations: 37 Rising Stars

HBIC is proud to bring to you some of the great work done by the men we idolize on the ice. From Wayne Gretzky to Mario Lemieux to Darren McCarty to Mike Fisher, current and former NHL stars are in our communities helping out where ever and whenever they can. Today is the first charitable organization that will be feature an NHL player who is no longer with us. Despite him being gone, his work - specifically all the charitable work he did - has not been forgotten, and that's why the hockey world is more like a family than an industry. Today, HBIC is proud to bring to light the work being done by 37 Rising Stars, the charitable organization founded in Dan Snyder's memory.

Mission Statement: 37 Rising Stars is active in a number of charities and initiatives, but it is probably best known for the Dan Snyder Memorial Foundation. From the 37 Rising Stars website, the "Dan Snyder Memorial Foundation is dedicated to providing scholarship opportunities to young athletes, to assist in the pursuit of their goals. The Foundation also supports the fundraising for a multi-use recreational center, to be built in Dan's hometown of Elmira in 2008. In his memory and in recognition of his many contributions to the community, the centerpiece of this complex has been designated The Dan Snyder Memorial Arena."

How Did 37 Rising Stars Start?: Dan Snyder passed away on October 5, 2003, six days after being involved in car accident involving Dany Heatley. The two men were in Heatley's Ferrari when the car crashed, and Dan Snyder was thrown from the car. He was comatose while in the hospital, and succumbed to septic shock. The 25 year-old left a void in everyone's hearts who knew him, but the world lost an overly generous man who would drop everything to help a friend or fan who needed him.

Out of his commitment to the various charities and organizations that Dan regularly gave his time to, 37 Rising Stars was started by his parents, Graham and LuAnn Snyder, to carry on Dan's charitable legacy. The 37 Rising Stars Foundation provides funding to:

• Dan Snyder Memorial Scholarship - awarded annually to one recipient from each of the Elmira Sugar Kings, Woolwich Minor Hockey and a Woolwich Community at-large athlete.
• Dan Snyder Memorial Foundation - "providing scholarship opportunities to young athletes, to assist in the pursuit of their goals. The Foundation also supports the fundraising for a multi-use recreational center" in Elmira, Ontario.
  
• charities and scholarships, and helping to endow a chair for neurology at Emory University in Atlanta.

In a very touching tribute to Dan Snyder, the Thrashers helped open the Dan Snyder Memorial Arena in Woolwich in 2009.

"I think he would be really happy to see what the result was," Jake Snyder, Dan's brother, said to ESPN's Pierre Lebrun. "He kept really close ties to this community, volunteering with young kids and sports camps. Seeing that future generations of kids will be able to use this great facility, he'd be really happy."

Clearly, Dan Snyder was a guy that a lot of people loved and he touched a vast number of people's lives through his generosity and selflessness.

How Can I Help?: There are a number of ways you can help the 37 Rising Stars Foundation, and all of them are exceptional in their own ways.

First, if you'd like to help by donating to the Dan Snyder Memorial Scholarship, you should contact the directors of the Scholarship Fund. You can have your questions answered via phone by contacting Sue Van Every at (519) 669-7684. Please mail your donation or inquiries to:

RBC Royal Bank
6 Church Street West
Elmira, Ontario N3B 1M3
ATTN: Sue Van Every

Donations to the Dan Snyder Memorial Foundation can be mailed to:

The Dan Snyder Memorial Foundation
21 Park Avenue West
Elmira, Ontario
N3B 1K9

If you're more of a "wear it on your sleeve" kind of donator, that's ok too. The 37 Rising Stars Foundation has shirts you can buy to help them out! The shirts are $25 for t-shirt length and $30 for long sleeve shirts. You can get one of those by emailing Craig Shantz or by calling (519) 576-2935.

Of course, there's always the book about Dan Snyder's passing. John Manasso's A Season Of Loss, A Lifetime Of Forgiveness helps out as well. It's an excellent read, and it deserves to be on the bookshelf of any hockey fan.

37 Rising Stars, the NHLPA, and the Snyder family are helping the communities they live in as a tribute to their fallen hero, Dan Snyder. It's time for us to help them as well.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!