Score for Kristen & the Kids raises over $10,000 for Ewing's Sarcoma patients

Union College Athletics has announced it raised $10,383,81 in funds for patients of Ewing's Sarcoma through its “Score for Kristen & the Kids,” fundraiser during the men's and women's ice hockey seasons.

Ewing's Sarcoma / Peripheral Primitive Neuroectodermal Tumors (PNET) of bone is a type of cancer usually found in children and young adults. Kristen Shinebarger is an active eight year old who was diagnosed with Ewing's Sarcoma in November. She is the daughter of Shelly Shinebarger, the Director of Student Support Services at Union College.

"We have found the Union College community support incredibly comforting and as a result are able to focus on Kristen's care and well-being," the Shinebarger family said in a statement. "We want you to know that you have made a difference."

During this initiative, funds were raised by pledges toward each power play goal by the Dutchmen and Dutchwomen, from January 7 games through the end of each season. Donations were also accepted at each game in a donation box in the lobby of Messa Rink.

NCAA Hockey Bracket Challenge For Charity

My fraternity, Alpha Epsilon Pi (Upsilon Sigma chapter), is hosting an NCAA Hockey Bracket Challenge to raise money for the "Score for Kristen & the Kids" fund. This charity is in support of Kristen Shinebarger, who was recently diagnosed with Ewing's Sarcoma, and her family. Her mother, Shelly Shinebarger, is the Director of Student Services at Union and does a lot for Dutchmen, especially with the guys from Canada. As of February 7th, about $4,000 has been raised. Let's continue this success and spread it the cause throughout the college hockey community.

For more info on the charity click here.

The way the bracket challenge works is that it costs $5 to submit one bracket (or $12 for three brackets, $20 for five brackets), and the winner takes 50% of the total amount raised, while the other half goes to the Shinebarger family.

Here's how to sign up:
Register (click here)
Fill out Bracket (click here)
Pay via PayPal (click here)

For more info check out the Facebook Page. Join the event and invite all of your friends.

Fun Facts: Former team manager Jeremy Apple '09 is a member of the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity... Jason Oshins '86 founded the chapter of AEPi at Union College and is a huge Garnet Blades donor and is on the school's Board of Trustees.

Here's a video of Kristen when she was honored by Union's women's hockey team in February:



Here's a video from the press conference when the initiative was announced:

Dutchmen Announce Two "New Initiatives"

At 3pm on Thursday at Messa Rink the Dutchmen announced two "new initiatives" that will take place this season. Both are community outreach initiatives, which is pretty ironic considering the video I posted just before the press conference got under way.

The first initiative is a fund-raising effort called "Score for Kristen & the Kids." The team is raising money for patients of a disease called Ewing's Sarcoma. This effort was created to support Kristen Shinebarger, the eight year old daughter of Shelly Shinebarger, the Director of Student Support Services at Union College. The team will raise the money by pledges toward each power play goal the Dutchmen, as well as the Dutchwomen, score. Good thing Union has the #1 power-play percentage in the nation! For more info please go to Union Athletics.com and click here for the brochure. You can also learn more by reading Ken Schott's post on his blog.

This is such a great thing that the hockey program is doing! Union is truly a tight-knit family, and when someone needs help everyone does their part. I fully expect all Union hockey fans and everybody else in the Union community to do their part. When talking to Mrs. Shinebarger at the press conference she was extremely appreciative. I will definitely pledge and my fraternity will be doing the same. If you have any questions about this PLEASE DO NOT HESITATE TO MESSAGE ME!

Here is video of the press conference about "Score for Kristen & the Kids":

The second initiative announced was the new radio show called “Union College Hockey Coach's Corner LIVE from Bombers.” Basically this radio show will take place at 6:00pm on Tuesdays (starting on the 18th) at Bombers, a Schenectady burrito bar located on State Street (This place is awesome... I just got back from eating there and playing trivia). The show will be a round table discussion with Union Head Coach Nate Leaman and announcer Matt Dubrey. You can listen to the show on WABY-AM 1160 and WVKZ-AM 1240. There will be cool Union Hockey raffles and prizes at the show. For more info go to Union Athletics.com.

This sounds awesome! It's a great way to promote the team in the city and get Union hockey fans together to share some good times in a social setting. And there's no better place in Schenectady to do this than Bombers! Great food... Great drinks... Great times. I can't wait for the first show!

Here's a clip from the press conference about the show (and yes there were free wings at the press conference and they were awesome!):