In 2013, the Anchorage School District in Alaska announced it was dropping
girls’ hockey to save money. A local non-profit provided temporary funding to keep the program going, but
that funding would run out at the end of the 2015 season. The DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation got word of
this and came in with a major holiday assist: a $200,000
Sports Matter Grant and new equipment to keep players on the ice for years to come! Now almost a decade later,
the program and its alums continue changing lives through sport but were in need once again.
"The cost of the season right now is around $80,000 dollars. Coaches have foregone
their stipends and volunteer their time," said Brian Gross, the director of the Anchorage Girls High School
Hockey program. "It's been extremely challenging finding sponsors, and we've been getting to that fundraising
goal by the skin of our teeth.”
Gabi Gibson and Amber Steinhilpert, two program alumni, recently returned to
Anchorage Hockey and shared some news that would help girls in the Anchorage area benefit from hockey the same
way they did.
To celebrate The DICK'S Foundation's 10th anniversary, Gibson and Steinhilpert showed
up to a recent practice, where they presented the program with a $100,000 Sports Matter Grant and new gear for
the entire Anchorage Girls High School Hockey program.
In partnership with Bauer, The DICK'S Foundation provided the girls with new helmets,
gloves, water bottles, neck guards, elbow pads, sticks and jerseys.
Members of the Anchorage Girls High School Hockey program pose with their new
hockey gear.
It was an emotional moment for Gross as he realized the fundraising weight that would
be lifted over the next few years.
“With this money alone, we can get four to five years of hockey," Gross
said.
Understanding the impact of the original Sports Matter grant on their lives meant a
lot for Gibson and Steinhilpert to be involved.
"If sports had been taken away, I honestly don't know who I would be," said Gibson.
"Amber is one of my best friends, and we have made a lot of memories together. Coming back here and being with
her for this event has been amazing."
Anchorage Girls High School Hockey alum Gabi Gibson recently returned to help
present a Sports Matter grant to the program.
“If you took hockey away, I couldn’t imagine it,” Steinhilpert
said. “Hockey is the heart of the city.”
For the past decade, The DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation’s Sports Matter
Program has committed over $100 million to inspire and enable youth sports participation by addressing barriers,
creating awareness, and giving more than two million youth athletes the chance to play.
To learn more about The DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation’s Sports Matter
Program, visit www.sportsmatter.org and watch the Anchorage Girls High School Hockey Sports Matter video here!
For media inquiries related to this story, contact press@dcsg.com.