FREE Learn To Skate and Learn to Play for Everyone in our Community!
About BYHA
Quality, Value, and Community, since 1973. A non-profit organization delivering high-value hockey programs to Biddeford, Saco and all of York County. BYHA operates out of the Biddeford Arena in Biddeford, Maine. In 2017, BYHA provided learn to skate, learn to play and youth hockey opportunities to over 400 children. 5% of those children receive needs-based scholarships.
Hockey is For Everyone
Biddeford is the 3rd largest municipality in Maine and largest city in York County. It is a great hockey town – home of the Biddeford Tigers, UNE Nor’Easters, and of 2X Stanley Cup Champion and BYHA Alumni Brian Dumoulin of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The city is not without its challenges. Biddeford has the highest crime rate in York County at more than double the county average. 18.2% of Biddeford residents live below the poverty level, – that is 2X the county average. Biddeford is 2% of the state population and was responsible for 5.5% of the total Opioid Deaths in 2017.
Today, children in the community are at risk. We have an opportunity to change that. According to the National Institute of Health, the perceived and objective benefits of participation in sports for children and adolescents are numerous and span multiple domains, including physical, physiological, and social development. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime works to use sports to provide positive experiences and support healthy development in young people. They believe youth sports reduce anti-social behavior by building important life skills that increase adaptive and positive behavior among at-risk youth. At BYHA, we see first hand that kids on ice stay out of hot water.
Our Goal
Our goal is to use free skating and hockey programs to deliver these positive experiences to our young people to help reduce crime, drug use, and poverty over the next decade. Skating and hockey are an excellent choice for this purpose because they are safe, fun winter activities that are enjoyable regardless of skill level. They are challenging and BYHA provides a fun, yet disciplined environment. Hockey is filled with cool gear and positive role models to keep new players engaged, but it is also great for kids with behavior issues, learning disabilities, autism and minor physical disabilities – as everyone is equal on the ice. Kids have a chance to accomplish something of value and learn a positive activity that they can use their entire life.
By offering free access, free instruction and free/loaner gear we can include at-risk youth in the community who are prohibited by cost; include those new to the community and those from countries and regions where ice skating is not common; reduce the barriers to trying this safe and positive lifelong activity; keep kids active and positive during winter months where drug use is high and crime rates are constant, and give at-risk youth a chance to be kids in a positive atmosphere.
All funds in the program will be used to:
1. Promote the skating and hockey to areas of the community that will benefit the most;
2. Ensure families and children can participate at no cost for equipment, lessons and ice time;
3. Provide a safe and accepting social atmosphere where children can build friendships and develop social skills.
We have a ten-year plan.
We want to effect an entire generation of youth in our community, but it takes time to develop into a hockey player or a proficient skater. It will take time for the program to gain momentum in the most troubled areas of the city. We want to support the journey of children on this path, not just show them a single season of activity and put them back in an unsafe environment. By enabling children to come back year after year, we can use kids that are involved to promote the program in their areas – this will help transform entire neighborhoods.
Your support is not alone. In 2017, BYHA relied on 19 small businesses in York County to sponsor all our youth hockey teams. In 2018, Warrior Hockey, owned by New Balance, began supporting BYHA through their Warrior Team Program.
We have the arena, we have the experience, we have the coaches and the support of the city, all we need is the funding so we can conduct community outreach and offer every single child a free path towards positive social development.