NHL's HOCKEY'S ALL-STAR KIDS TABS LaFONTAINE AS NATIONAL SPOKESMAN
Program links NHL with children's hospitals
NEW YORK, NY, September, 2001 - Former NHL great Pat LaFontaine today was named national spokesperson for the league's Hockey's All-Star Kids Program. His selection was based on the tireless efforts he's demonstrated in working with children's hospitals throughout North America.
In October 1999, the National Hockey League and the National Hockey League Players' Association joined together to launch the Hockey's All-Star Kids Foundation, a program which links the hockey community with the youngest victims of cancer and other diseases. Through a League-wide relationship with Children's Hospitals in Canada and the United States, Hockey's All-Star Kids includes patient visits, fund-raising support and programs to help create a positive environment for patients and their families.
Hockey's All-Star Kids initiatives are in place in all 30 NHL markets. The program encourages interaction between players and young patients and provides opportunities for Children's Hospital patients to be involved at the arena: from taking part in puck-dropping ceremonies to serving as a stick boy or girl during Hockey's All-Star Kids Awareness Nights. To emphasize the importance of Hockey's All-Star Kids, each NHL team has selected a player captain to spearhead the effort locally among his teammates and in the community.
Children's Hospitals serve as centers of excellence in pediatric care and are devoted to helping children with serious chronic or congenital illnesses. There are 158 Children's Hospitals throughout North America that are members of the National Association of Children's Hospitals and Related Institutions, a not-for-profit organization that works to ensure children's access to health care.
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