USA Hockey Magazine

O F F T HE D R AW IMMY DAWSON LOVES THE GAME OF HOCKEY and wants to see more people have a chance to play it. Dawson wanted to establish a legacy for years to come, so he helped to create the USA Hockey Foundation's Hockey Hispana Fund. The fund was started by Dawson in 2021 to make the sport of hockey more inclusive for Latina hockey players. The USA Hockey Foundation helps facilitate the Hockey Hispana Fund, which provides grant awards to 8 & Under and 10 & Under girls hockey players who are registered with USA Hockey associations in Colorado. "Hockey is the greatest sport on earth, but it can be pretty expensive, so I wanted to set aside a trust," Dawson said. "It's worth invest- ing in and is a great cause." Dawson has also organized a planned gift of $500,000 to ensure more girls can play for many years to come. Dawson grew up near Chicago and played hockey as a child. He spent time in Texas before later moving his family and business to south- ern Colorado in 2005. He rediscovered his love for hockey at a small rink in downtown Pueblo some 40 years after playing as a kid. "It had been many years since I skat- ed, but that same exhilarating feeling came back," he said. Dawson still plays pick-up games, and has also served as an assistant coach on his daughter's 19U Colorado Springs team during the 2016-17 season. "There's a special spot in my heart for girls hockey," Dawson said. "I love the camaraderie of the girls in the room. When the coaches would step outside, you could hear them hav- ing fun inside." That team was a history-making group that still carries significance for Dawson, as the group won the Colorado state championship. It also captured the regional title, defeating teams from Arizona, Utah and New Mexico along the way. That earned Dawson's group a trip to the national championships in Michigan that year. "The biggest joy I ever had was helping to coach those girls to a state championship, and then a regional championship, and onto nationals," Dawson said. "We watched [them] emerge as a team, and my daughter still plays. Her love for the game has never waned. Once you play, it's in your blood." Dawson now wants to pass that love for the game onto other families. Grant awards for the Hockey Hispana Fund will be used for individual player registration and membership fees, along with helping to pay for equipment. All grant awards will be paid directly to the hockey association and not to the individual receiv- ing the grant award. "Hockey is such a great sport and there's nothing like it," Dawson said. "The thrill of skating down the ice and being with your teammates and setting up plays. I want more kids who aren't as fortunate to be able to enjoy that." P Dan Scifo is a writer for Red Line Editorial. J Giving Back To Move The Game Forward Hockey Hispana Fund Creates Opportunities On The Ice For Hispanic Girls GIRLS HOCKEY Individuals applying for the grant must be USA Hockey registered and the deadline to apply each year is June 1. For questions or to donate to the Hockey Hispana Fund, please contact Sheila May sheilam@usahockey.org. Hockey is the greatest sport on earth, but it can be pretty expensive, so I wanted to set aside a trust." 16 // NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM k The 2016-17 Colorado Springs Tigers Girls 19 & Under Team made it all the way to USA Hockey's National Championship.

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