March 2, 2010 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
8th ANNUAL RED BANDANNA SKATE FOR YOUTH ICE HOCKEY TEAMS AND NYACK ALUMS & SPECIAL GUESTS TO BENEFIT 9/11 CHARITABLE TRUST
The 8th Annual Red Bandanna Skate, sponsored by The Welles Remy Crowther Charitable Trust, will be held this year on Saturday, March 20, from 4:30 to 7 pm at Sport-o-Rama, College Road, Monsey, NY.
Sport-o-Rama has most generously donated the ice time for this event. The New York Rangers Road Tour will open to the public earlier in the afternoon as a pre-game event.
The Red Bandanna Skate is a major fund-raiser for the Welles Remy Crowther Charitable Trust, founded in memory of the late Welles Crowther who lost his life during the attacks on the World Trade center on September 11, 2001. Welles, an equities trader for Sandler O’Neill & Partners, 2 WTC and a volunteer firefighter as a member of Empire Hook & Ladder Co. No 1 of Upper Nyack, is credited with saving many lives on September 11th. He has become known as “The Man in the Red Bandanna” for his courageous actions during his final hour. For the first time in department history, Welles was made an honorary member of the FDNY, posthumously, on Dec 15, 2006.
Welles was a member of Nyack High School’s Varsity Ice Hockey team for 4 years. In 2002, at the Inaugural Skate, Welles’ team jersey was presented to the Crowther family by Mr. Joseph LaPorte, Nyack’s Director of Athletics and Welles’ # 19 was retired. The Nyack Ice Hockey Alumnae, led by teammates John Scott and Chris Varmon, former coaches and friends, have organized the Red Bandanna Skate ever since.
The New York Rangers Road Tour, an interactive ice-hockey exhibition, will open as a pre-game event mid-afternoon. For specific times, please call 845-358-2766 after March 15.
At 4:30 pm, the Clarkstown Capitals “Young Stars Game” will kick off the competitions. The Clarkstown Capitals is a Rockland County youth ice hockey program for youngsters ages 7 to 17. The Young Stars Game is led by the Clarkstown Capitals, Coach Ed Varmon, who also coached Welles as a high school player. The Capitals will face off with teams of 20 to 25 players, at five age levels: Mite (7-8), Squirt (9-10), PeeWee(11-12), Bantam (13-14) and Midget (15-18). The teams will play a running clock game for 50-60 minutes to showcase their talents.
The adults will play a competitive benefit game in memory of Welles in the second half of the program. Team members include Nyack High School alumnae, former teammates of Welles from other Rockland County ice hockey programs and members of the NYPD and the FDNY.
Tickets for the Red Bandanna Skate are $5.00 each and may be purchased at the door.
To make tax-deductible donations to the trust, please visit www.active.com/donate/redbandannaskate2010 .
The Welles Remy Crowther Charitable Trust is recognized as a not-for-profit organization under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Service Code and is registered with the State of New York. The mission of the trust is to award scholarships to deserving young people striving for excellence and support other not-for-profit organizations that benefit young people in the areas of education, health and character development.
Tax-deductible donations to the Trust are gratefully accepted. Checks payable to the Welles Remy Crowther Charitable Trust may be mailed to the trust at:
Crowther Trust
P.O. Box 780
Nyack, NY 10960-0780