First Annual Cheetah-Thon!

Support the Montgomery Cheetahs! 1st Annual ‘Cheetah-thon’ to Raise Funds for Program Rockville, MD, May 12, 2012— Montgomery Cheetahs hockey players, their families, friends, and supporters will be on the ice Saturday, May 12, 2012 as part of the fundraising skate and cheer event known as the “Cheetah-thon.” The 1st Annual Cheetah-thon will be held from 5:00–7:00 p.m. at the Rockville Ice Arena, 50 Southlawn Court, Rockville, MD 20850. Montgomery Special Hockey is an adaptive ice hockey program for children and adults with developmental disabilities. In addition to physical hockey skills, the program emphasizes the development of desirable individual characteristics such as dependability, self-reliance, concentration, willingness to share and personal accountability. The game of hockey is used to develop within each player the characteristics that will help the player to be more successful both inside and outside a hockey environment. Support from this program comes from the community. Middle and High School aged mentors take to the ice each practice to offer one-on-one assistance to Cheetah athletes. The Montgomery Cheetahs hockey program began in 2006 in Rockville, MD to serve children that could not succeed in regular youth leagues. It grew quickly from 15 players their first season to more than 60 players who are currently in the program. Cheetah players have disabilities that span the entire range of the autism spectrum, Down’s Syndrome, and other neuro-muscular disabilities, and they range in age from 4 years to 22 years old. The Cheetahs practice weekly from September through May at Cabin John Ice Rink in Montgomery County, Maryland. Each fall the Cheetahs take part in the Frankenfest Hockey Tournament, hosted by their sister program, the New Jersey Daredevils. Then, each spring, the Cheetahs participate in the annual USA Hockey Disabled Festival. The Cheetahs are a member program of the American Special Hockey Association which represents more than 50 special hockey clubs across the United States. The Montgomery Cheetahs also provide non-disabled young men and women the opportunity to experience volunteerism and act as mentors to the athletes. The mentors assist the coaches during practices by helping to teach skating and hockey skills and providing positive feedback and encouragement. They build working relationships with the Cheetahs, they get to know and understand children with disabilities and forge bonds with them based on a common interest in hockey. The Cheetahs have over 90 active mentors who support the program and have logged in over 800 hours of their time so far this year. The “Cheetah-thon” is the first major fundraiser for the Montgomery Special Hockey Club. All proceeds raised will go toward the purchase of ice time and equipment for the growing program. The Cheetahs are a completely volunteer organization, and all of the money raised by the Cheetahs goes to programming. No one is paid and there are no salaries paid or other costs that do not promote the mission of the team. Expenses keep growing, and this year costs for ice alone exceeded $20,000. This event is open to skaters and non-skaters alike. Participants are encouraged to bring their friends and families to skate with the Cheetahs and their fans or to show support by making a gift to the organization. There will also be prizes for top fundraisers. In addition to sponsoring skaters, supporters can purchase refreshments and raffle tickets, and of course, cheer on the participants. For immediate release Contact: Sean Twombly 202-744-5780 501(c)(3) non-profit organization / Federal ID #20-5979889