Avalon Hosts Ed Snider Foundation Gathering
Hard to imagine any discussion of hockey on a muggy, warm summer evening, but that’s exactly what happened Aug. 17 in Avalon.
There’s no doubt that Philadelphia hockey and sports icon Ed Snider was looking down from heaven with a big smile at the gathering at the home of Bill Whitmore. Whitmore, the chairman of Allied Universal Security Services, also serves as chairman of the board of the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation. The board of directors and foundation supporters were joined by several of the foundation’s student-athletes in the summer get-together at Whitmore’s home.
Whitmore, whose involvement came at the request of Snider and Comcast-Spectacor vice chairman Fred Shabel, realized the irony of the “hockey” get-together on what was shaping up to be one of the hottest and most humid days of the summer. “I was worried at about 5pm, but by 6:30 it was perfect,” Whitmore was saying a couple of days later. “Besides, I think there has always been a connection between the Flyers organization and Avalon. That, along with the weather, made it a perfect evening.”
Snider, the Flyers chairman who died in April 2016, would no doubt be beaming to see the progress of the foundation that he started in 2005 as his personal commitment to teach children important life lessons using hockey to build lives and unite communities. “We have thousands of children involved,” Whitmore says. “Many are needy inner-city kids. It’s an opportunity to make a real impact.”
Snider would be even prouder of the success of the student-athletes involved in his program. There are 1,158 students involved in the foundation’s after-school excellence programs. Seventy-four percent of the student-athletes involved read at or above their grade level. More impressive, 85 percent of the senior student-athletes involved in the foundation go on to post-secondary school education. It was often said that the only thing bigger than Snider’s desire to win was his heart and commitment to give back to youth. The foundation that bears his name proves that fact and allows his amazing legacy to live on.
The Avalon meeting was an opportunity for board members to interact with several of the foundation’s student-athletes. But it also was an opportunity for the student-athletes to begin to explore their future while receiving mentoring from some of the region’s most experienced and successful business leaders. There were many conversations about potential career opportunities. It was also a great chance for board members to see some of the results of their efforts.
Flyers alumni continue to be very supportive of the foundation and there were many familiar faces in attendance, including Bob “The Hound” Kelly, Joe Watson, Bernie Parent and current team president Paul Holmgren.
The get-together had no written agenda, according to Whitmore. “There were no planned speeches. This was just an opportunity to say thank you to the people who have contributed to make this all possible,” he says. Bringing even more of a Snider flavor to the event was the fact that it was catered by Brulee Catering, the recently acquired catering arm of Comcast-Spectacor, the entertainment giant founded by Snider.
Flyers fans interested in helping keep the Ed Snider legacy alive can learn more about the foundation by visiting sniderhockey.org.