Flyers Charities Help Officially Open Renovated Ball Hockey Rink
In a scene seemingly straight out of a Hallmark movie or Gilmore Girls, an entire community gathered at New Hanover Community Park to celebrate the official opening of a newly-renovated ball hockey rink on the park's premises.
Source: Siobhan Nolan - Flyers Charities Help Officially Open Renovated Ball Hockey RinkIn a scene seemingly straight out of a Hallmark movie or Gilmore Girls, an entire community gathered at New Hanover Community Park to celebrate the official opening of a newly-renovated ball hockey rink on the park's premises.
Pizza and water ice were being served as people weaved through the Flyers-themed lawn games and giant inflatables shaped like a Flyers player and Gritty. Orange and black balloon pillars stood on either side of a podium on the ball hockey rink, as Flyers alumni and representatives milled about.
This wasn't any boring township event—this was the culmination of over a year of hard work and an astounding amount of ambition from two young girls determined to keep hockey alive in their community.
Natalie Van Druff and Lilly Walter heard that there were plans to turn the park's old ball hockey rink—an unsafe asphalt surface surrounded by a chain-link fence—into pickleball courts.
They simply couldn't allow that to happen.
After rallying the support of their community, Van Druff and Walter (who are only in middle school, mind you) made a presentation to their township leaders, urging them to keep the ball hockey rink. It worked. But renovating the space into one that was safe and playable for the community wouldn't be a cheap undertaking.
That's where Flyers Charities steps in.
Flyers Charities president Blaire Listino heard about the girls' efforts and knew immediately that she wanted to get involved.
"I read about it...and I sent it over to our community team and said, 'How do we get in touch with them?'" she said.
What followed was a staggering $200,000 donation to make the rink the best it could be—fully equipped with boards, penalty boxes, goals, and a surface adorned with faceoff circles that won't rip up the knees of players.
But the Flyers did more than just hand over a check. Van Druff and Walter got the chance to go to the Flyers Training Center to meet forward Garnet Hathaway and, of course, Gritty, and got the opportunity to tour the NHL's league offices in New York City, where they were recognized for their outstanding efforts in growing hockey in their community.
Van Druff and Walter don't remember exactly how long they've been best friends, but they do remember that they met through playing hockey, and it formed an incredibly special bond between them that helped fuel the inspiration and passion behind this project.
"I was nervous," Walter admitted about going out into the community to gain support for saving the rink. "But with [Van Druff], I'm less nervous."
As for the turnout for the opening ceremony (and the fact that parents were already overheard saying they wanted their kids to start learning hockey on the rink), they said that seeing so many members of their community enjoy it was "amazing" and that they're "so glad people are enjoying playing hockey."
"We just want to grow the game and share the love with everyone!" Walter said.
Their efforts to grow the game extends far beyond saving the ball hockey rink. They want to publish a chapter book and a kid's picture book, along with wanting to "make a movie...because we need more hockey movies." (Their favorite one is Miracle.) But it won't just be any hockey movie—they want to make "a girl hockey movie."
It's important to them that every kid who plays here feels inspired to take up hockey, but they especially want girls to feel empowered to get involved in the sport.
"We're happy for every kid to get into hockey," Van Druff chimed in. "But we especially want to grow it for girls."
With how much they've impacted not just New Hanover Township, but the larger hockey community in Pennsylvania and beyond, it's easy to forget that Van Druff and Walter really are just kids who love hockey and didn't want the opportunity for other kids to discover a love for the game be taken away.
But as they traipsed around the park, braided hair swinging behind them and never going anywhere without one another, Van Druff and Walter looked like ordinary pre-teen girls enjoying a summer day outside in the last stretch of freedom before school starts. They giggled and cracked jokes in their speech during the rink's opening ceremony. They coordinated Flyers-themed outfits. Their mothers had to wrangle them in to do take pictures and do interviews.
They're a shining example that anyone, regardless of age or gender, can make a difference. All you need is passion, perseverance, and, of course, your best friend.
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