Ex-hockey player still scoring goals
As Seen on Newsday.com, by Caryn Eve Murray
April 24, 2005 - For almost all the years of his
high-profile National Hockey League career, Pat
LaFontaine could hear the kids cheering for him.
Now, the one-time Islander and Ranger spends his
time cheering for the kids - all of them, whom
he visits in hospitals nationwide, but
especially the sick, the frail, the ones
struggling to overcome disabilities or those
battling serious illnesses.
LaFontaine's three years of work with a
nonprofit foundation he created in Huntington,
Companions in Courage, is bringing interactive,
colorful, high-tech rooms to children's
hospitals around the country, for video games,
conferencing, long-distance chats and other uses
- with the closest site to home so far being
Schneider Children's Hospital in New Hyde Park.
CIC's executive director, Jim Johnson, said the
room should be completed this summer. Rooms also
are in the works in Buffalo and at Methodist
Hospital in Brooklyn.
LaFontaine considers the project a way of "using
technology as a healing tool." But it is much
more than that.
"It's an oasis, a safe haven in a children's
hospital where kids can escape what's going on
from day to day," he said. "A special key lets
them in. There are no doctors or nurses. No
needles, no prodding. A kid can be a kid."
That's important to the North Shore resident,
himself a father of three kids, Sarah, 14,
Brianna, 12, and Daniel, 9.
Most recently, LaFontaine's cheering section
grew to include Tony Rossi, producer of TV's
"Christopher Closeup," which interviewed the
hockey star about his foundation's work. Not
long after, the executive awards panel of The
Christophers voted to give him its James Keller
Award, named for the priest who founded the
charitable group in 1945. It was the latest
award of many for LaFontaine, who also has been
recipient of the Patriot Award from the
Congressional Medal of Honor Society - as well
as Olympic and World Cup honors during his
hockey career.
Finding himself in good company at last month's
ceremony - Sargent Shriver received the
Christopher Leadership Award - he isn't likely
to forget the collective power of all the others
receiving awards there in Manhattan that night.
"It was a tremendous honor, and more than
anything, it was a very humbling experience. It
was one of those rare nights when you couldn't
help but be impressed with every honoree's
story," he said.
The UBS trader outfitted each runner and
volunteer with distinctive "Team Courage"
running shirts. Runners reported that they were
inspired during the event by many spectators who
called out for them to show their "Courage!"
Proceeds from the event will be used by the
Companions in Courage Foundation (www.CiC16.org)
to build interactive game rooms in children's
hospitals. LaFontaine said, "This was another
great example of how a 'grass roots' movement
can have a profound impact on the local
community. Kids in children's hospitals had a
great group of companions working for them
today."
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