On February 23rd at the Fred Rust Ice Arena, the players of University of Delaware’s D1 men’s hockey team came together with the help of fans, friends, and families to support the Delaware Veteran Coalition at their annual “Military Appreciation Night.” Every year, the team invites any military representatives including ROTC at UD to come to support the Blue Hens as they raise money for the DVC at a home game. The players also sport specially-designed military-themed jerseys, designed by Nick Matarese (https://www.thebarncreative.org/), that are auctioned off to help raise money.

A generous donation of $1600 was delivered to the Delaware Veterans Coalition, a non-partisan, not-for-profit organization that benefits the near 80,000 veterans living in Delaware. The Delaware Veterans Coalition was founded by David Skocik and Paul Davis, the acting president and vice-president, respectively. The two also co-founded an organization named The Friends of Delaware Veterans, Inc., a pro bono organization comprised of veterans that raises funds for the Delaware Veterans Trust Fund. The Trust Fund, maintained by the Delaware Commission of Veterans Affairs, provides one-time emergency grants to honorably discharged veterans in a financial emergency. It has saved veterans from vehicle repossessions, shut off of utilities, evictions, and other life-disrupting events. Visit www.DelawareVeteransTrustFund.com for more information.  

Captain Mike Zidansek commented, “As a team, this is one of the big fundraisers every year. We are proud to donate the money to two great organizations that support veterans.”

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Twitter: @udhockey

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Written by: Daniella Fioretti