The Chicago Hockey Initiative is excited to introduce our most recent and youngest Microgrant recipients, Drake and Leo!  Drake and Leo are primary school students from Chicago’s South Side who will begin their first full season as skaters this fall. The boys are pictured with CHI vice president Scott at the 2017 CHI Family Skate at Johnny’s Ice House, where it was nearly impossible to pull them off the ice! Drake’s and Leo’s Microgrant awards were fulfilled through the generous support of Capital One.

Leo and Drake are first generation hockey players who began skating through a Chicago Blackhawks youth hockey clinic at McKinley Park this past winter, where they discovered CHI Board members distributing Microgrant applications.  Both of the boys received excellent recommendations from their classroom teachers. Leo’s teacher, Ms. Both, wrote that “Leo is a very good student! He demonstrates strong academic achievement and an interest in sports. He likes skating and wrote about it several times in his journal.”  Fantastic!  Likewise, Drake’s teacher, Ms. Growe, offered that “Drake is a good student. His academic progress is significantly advanced. He cares about his classmates and shows respect to his teachers.”  It is such a pleasure for the CHI to support such impressive students as they pursue introductory athletics!

The Chicago Hockey Initiative sincerely enjoys serving as a resource for families who are new to the great game of hockey. We are very pleased to meet Leo, Drake, and their parents as they begin their adventure as a hockey family!