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36 // APRIL/MAY 2019 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM If the board hits the goal, the city will sign off on $21 million toward the project. The Friends board will then have to raise another $2 million as the city starts its contribution toward essentially building a new rink. Those sums indicate the scale of need at Fort Dupont, which used to be the Capitals practice facility. If all that happens, nobody will be more thrilled than 81-year-old Neal Henderson, who founded the Cannons program—the jewel of the rink—in 1978 and still runs it today. The Cannons, also known as the Fort Dupont Ice Hockey Club, are one of 34 programs participating in the U.S. and Canada in the NHL's Hockey is For Everyone Program, emphasizing minority outreach. "The goal is to keep kids off the streets and to teach them discipline and life skills," said Henderson, who estimated that he has helped more than 4,000 kids over the years. " We give them a chance to meet some of the greatest players and to be involved in playing a game that takes many skills in order to perform and have a sense of self-worth." Henderson's work is one of the rea- sons Newberry came to Fort Dupont 13 years ago because serving kids in need is a passion project for him. He has been involved in college and youth hockey for a good part of his life. Newberry has been a long-time vol- unteer with USA Hockey, serving as the Southeastern District Coach-in-Chief for 11 years. In the past, he managed several rinks and coached collegiately at Penn S t a t e a n d We st V i r g i n i a . B u t i t 's Fo r t Dupont where he has put his heart and soul. "The mission of the Friends of Fort Dupont is something I fell in love with," he said. "I wanted to help remove the cost barrier in the hockey and ice-skating world, where the cost of participation has gone through the roof." Since he arrived, Newberry has been wres- tling with facility problems as much as focus- ing on programs and fundraising. Originally opened in 1976 as a gift to the community by the National Park Service for the nation's bicentennial, the park service wasn't keen on maintaining ice rinks. Twenty years later, the non-profit Friends foundation leased the rink from the federal government, saving it from closure. With little funds, the organization did the best it could by making some basic repairs even though much more needed to be done. Newberry can easily rattle off the facility 's challenges. The roof leaks. The 43-year-old concrete floor needs to be replaced. There are worn-out pumps and the sprinkler system is shot. And the list goes on. Those problems don't take away from the pride the rink's staff has in running the facility. "It's our home and we are very proud of it," Newberry said. "We do the best with what we have." Fo r m e r Wa s h i n g t o n m ay o r V i n c e n t G r ay i s a b i g f a n o f Newberry and the rink. As the only public indoor ice rink in Washington, D.C., the Fort Dupont Ice Arena gives thousands of local kids a chance to skate and play hockey. PHOTOS BY Daniel Kucin, Jr.; Getty Images Monumental UNDERTAKING 50% $3m M O R E T H A N The rink's board must raise $3 million by Feb. 1, 2020, as part of a deal with the D.C. Council. If the board hits the goal, the city will sign off on $21 million toward the project. "It's our home and we are very proud of it. We do the best with what we have." of the kids involved in the Kids On Ice program come from the most underserved parts of the city. – TY NEWBERRY, Fort Dupont Ice Arena executive director