Devils Donate Hockey Rink to Newark's Philip's Academy

NEWARK, NJ – The first day back at school is usually a day of mixed emotions for elementary school-aged children after enjoying a long summer.

However, for students at Newark’s Philip’s Academy Charter School there was overwhelming excitement as the school received a state-of-the-art outdoor hockey rink from the New Jersey Devils and United Airlines on Monday morning behind the club’s ‘Give 82’ community initiative.

Just ask Malaya Jones, 8, a third grade student at Philip’s Academy.

“I had no idea the Devils were going to come today, but I was so excited,” Jones said shortly after playing hockey for the first time in the rink. “It was a lot of fun today and I had a good time playing (hockey) with my friends.”

It marked the first time the Devils ever donated an outdoor hockey rink with its newest community partner, United Airlines as their wingman in this charitable effort.

“We believe that the strongest sports organizations are ones that connect on an emotional level with their fans and everybody who lives in that community,” explained Hugh Weber, president of the Devils and the Prudential Center. “Seeing these kids have all this fun out here today – some of them who are playing hockey for the first time is pretty amazing.”

Weber said that United Airlines, one of the largest employers in Newark, was a ‘natural partner’ and looks forward to working together on other charitable efforts in the community.

“Being a proud partner of Prudential Center and the New Jersey Devils is an exciting and rewarding opportunity for United Airlines as these organizations align to our commitment of supporting our local community and our core values as a company,” Jill Kaplan, president, New York/New Jersey for United Airlines said in a statement. “It is our mission to connect people and unite the world, and this partnership enacts that motto into action.”

The Devils and Prudential Center have established a track record of charitable donations, especially in the Newark community.

“We’ve made a concerted effort five years ago to make the Prudential Center and the New Jersey Devils two entities that are going to represent Newark and make this community proud,” Weber added. “This is just another example of that.”

This school year marks Philip’s Academy’s 30th anniversary. Its ‘rich history’ and ‘commitment to students’ factored into the decision to being the beneficiary of the outdoor hockey rink, according to Jeff Scott, vice president of community investments and grassroots with the Devils.

“This project came about through our vision and commitment to giving back in the community behind our ‘Give 82’ platform,” suggested Scott. “We want to educate these students as much as we can about the sport of hockey, being healthy and athletic. Hopefully we can accomplish that (with these students) through this gift today.”

During an assembly in the school’s auditorium Newark Mayor Ras Baraka spoke to the students and faculty before the unveiling of the hockey rink.

“There’s a whole bunch of people in this city that love and care for you,” Baraka suggested. “We want to see you be strong and grow and help us move our community forward.”

This generous act of kindness shows that the community does care about these students.

All photos used in the lead of this story are credited to Jeff Auger courtesy of the New Jersey Devils.