Darien Winter Club Raises a Cool $6,700 to Benefit Person-to-Person

Annual “Charity Skate” Raised Nearly $47,000 in 8 Years

On June 22nd, the Darien Winter Club faced off for the 8th Annual ‘Charity Skate’ ice hockey event to benefit Person-to-Person Emergency Assistance Program. The program is a core service of the agency that provides financial assistance to help individuals and families pay for rent, utility bills and related expenses.

The ‘Charity Skate’ event is a Darien Winter Club (DWC) tradition which provides its members the chance to have a great time playing ice hockey while raising money for a worthy cause.

“Person-to-Person has been our designated charity since 2006,” says John Shaker, organizer of DWC’s 2013 Charity Skate for P2P. “The generosity of our members is outstanding. This year we raised just under $7,000, which brings the total to nearly $47,000 over the last 8 years!”

The ‘Charity Skate’ concept was created by Tony Oja, a longtime DWC member. Tony organized the early events to help benefit the ‘Ice Hockey in Harlem’ charity, which provided opportunities for disadvantaged inner-city kids to learn and play ice hockey. Over the years other charities were selected by DWC members. Today’s DWC Charity Skate events for P2P are held at Terry Conners Ice Rink in Stamford, which donates the ice time.  In this way, donations from each of the players directly benefits Person-to-Person.

“More than 23,000 men, women and children were helped by Person-to-Person last year,” says Ceci Maher, Executive Director of P2P. “There is still a great deal of need out there as demand for our services, and our service area have increased. But through the generosity of groups like the Darien Winter Club, we are able to continue to provide the needed support and to grow our services.”

 To make a donation to the Emergency Assistance Program, or for more information, visit the Person-to-Person website at www.p2pHelps.org or call (203) 655-0048.