A hockey team in northeastern Wisconsin is not only focused on scoring goals this season, but also giving back to support a classmate and other pediatric patients at Aurora Medical Center – Bay Area.
The Marinette & Menominee Thunder Hockey high school team held a “Pink Out” game in February where they wore pink jerseys, took donations and held a teddy bear toss.
The Thunder played against the Manistique Hockey Association, and together the teams collected more than 250 stuffed animals for pediatric patients at Aurora Bay Area. They also raised more than $2,500 to support Kody Klimek, a 2021 Peshtigo High School graduate battling cancer.
“I’m really proud of this group of kids,” coach John Danielak told the hockey association. “Not just for the hockey, they did play exceptionally well, but just to see how much more there is to life. We did this for Kody, and this one meant a lot. There were a lot of people here, so hopefully we raised something to help his family out. That’s really why we were here this weekend. It wasn’t really about the games as much as it was to try to help the Klimek family.”
The Thunder won the game 10-2. The team says it was humbling to see the community come out to support the Klimek family and the teddy bear toss, adding it was exciting to see the stuffed animals flying onto the rink. Coach Danielak credits the team’s dedicated families for helping to make the donations possible.
“We have some great moms that do a lot of great work behind the scenes, getting donations and pulling this all together,” he said. “We are fortunate to have a lot of really good families. I hope to see this association keep growing and be something that everyone in the community is proud of.”
The M&M Thunder Hockey high school team also expressed gratitude to all the caregivers at Aurora Bay Area and clinics who take diligent care of so many in the community every day. While this was their first Pink Out game, the team has committed to hosting another one next year.
How you can help
Advocate Aurora Health is a not-for-profit organization and relies on philanthropy to enhance care, enable innovation and provides extra measures of comfort, such as stuffed animals for children battling illnesses and recovering from injuries. There are many ways you can support care in your community.