by posted 09/02/2010
 
A few reservations for golf and dinner are still available as our 9th annual golf tournament is just a matter of weeks away.  Join us at Blackledge Country Club in Hebron on Friday, September 24th for golf and dinner followed by the silent and live auctions.

Maybe you'll have the best bid on the Wolf Pack Sky Box or the Mets tickets? Maybe you've got a sports collector on your holiday list? You'd better find a good seat for the bidding on the Bruins Winter Classic jersey signed by nearly the entire team. Or, maybe you favor the autographed photos of  Eli Manning, Hines Ward, Jon Quick and Mike Richter? There are so many items up for auction! You could be headed out with tickets to Hartford Stage, the Essex Steam Train, Beardsley Zoo or Six Flags. Or, you could find yourself wandering through Garden Barn, or sitting at the Black Bear Saloon with gift certificates in hand.

Don't miss out!

Contact me for a reservation for golf or dinner, or both.

Yours on Ice,

Bob Pilney
Co-President ECHO Stars
136 Grandview Street
Manchester, CT 06040
860-402-3541 - C
860-647-9398 - H

    

by posted 09/02/2010
 

 Stars On Ice Summer Celebration Wrap Up

 
On a rainy Sunday in August, forty ECHO families made their way to the rink for some preseason camaraderie and old fashioned hockey.  70 players both young and old hit the ice in 3 vs 3 style; some in full gear and some sporting just their helmets and gloves with shin pads under their jeans. But, no matter how they dressed, the five rounds of pond hockey games were a treat to watch and play as siblings, parents, and coaches mixed it up on the ice.
Aside from the activity on the ice, the other events of the afternoon had their fair share of excitement. Many sported painted and tattooed faces, along with lopsided pizza sauce smiles. There was glue and glitter and sticker covered stars and bags clutched in the hands of big and small girls alike. And, a few brave souls liked their rink experience just a little colder and wetter than most and participated in the frozen jersey contest and water balloon toss.
Vintage ECHO jerseys were worn during the games and given to players to keep as a memento of this summer’s Stars On Ice. You’re sure to see a few of these jerseys on the ice during practices this season, and I bet if you ask the player about it, you’ll see the smile that goes along with the great memory.
Thanks go to John Power and Jim Campbell who were chairpersons for this event. Special thanks go to Kim Power, Becca Pilney, Lisa Pilney, Kim and Sean Fogarty, Faith and Steve Murray, Kim and Ken Camello, Rita Malenczyk, Elizabeth O’Connor, Mike McCarthy, Joanne and Jeff Holm, Kevin Mulry and Tim Olson. Thanks too, to all the parents who brought their players, geared up the tiny ones, and applauded and enjoyed watching their players over the course of the afternoon. And a note of thanks to the Board of Directors who all volunteered during the event. And to Bob Pilney, the final thank you, it was his creative genius that got this celebration started.


    

by posted 08/23/2010
 

    

by posted 08/16/2010
 

Travel Teams - Themed Team Basket Contest
 

All our teams will be busy constructing a raffle basket for the silent auction portion of the Golf Tournament coming in September. Each basket will be built around a theme under the guidance of the  Head Coach and Team Parent. The themes for this year are:

Mites: Fun and Games
Squirts: Whalers Fest Tailgate
Pee Wee:  Practice Night Dinners
Bantams:  Newport Care Package
 
The basket is a maximum of $100.00 (cost divided among the team members).  However, teams can add donated items to make the basket bigger and better. 
The team that gets the highest bid will win $100.00 for their Newport Team Party!

    

by posted 08/12/2010
 

    

by posted 08/12/2010
 
Dear ECHO Families:

As you may know, we will be holding our annual golf tournament to benefit ECHO on September 24, just a matter of weeks away.  This is ECHO's largest fund raiser of the year.  Last year we raised over $11,400, which helped us to purchase new jersey's this year and defray costs for skaters.

There are many ways that you might support the tournament, many which do not require you to golf or even to join us at all at Blackledge on Friday September 24.

o  Having said that, we hope that if you golf that you will decide to play, ideally to set up a foursome with friends.  Foursomes are $420, while an individual entry is $110.  If you don't play, but have family or friends who do, please encourage them to play.

o  If you don't golf, we will have a nice dinner with raffle and auction that evening.  The cost of dinner is $40 for adults and $20.00 for kids.  We have lots of attractive items, including:

- Foursome to the TPC- Wolf Pack sky box
- Mets Tickets
- Bruins Winter Classic jersey signed by nearly the entire team
- Autographed photos of various athletes from Eli Manning, Hines Ward, Jon Quick and Mike Richter just to name a few 
- Overnight stay at the Sheraton at Bradley International Airport
- Tickets to: Hartford Stage, Essex Steam Train, Beardsley Zoo, Six Flags and more
- Gift Certificates to: Garden Barn, Black Bear Saloon, Rein's Deli to name a few
     
Last year we had over 100 raffle and silent auction items and this year we want to top that number but we need your help!

o  We also have several sponsorships still available.  A "tee sponsor" is $50 and a "hole sponsor" is $100.  If you own a company, make such decisions for your company, or have influence or access to whomever makes such decisions - you should know that the golfers are loyal to not only ECHO but also to the sponsors that support our organization.  Please consider taking this opportunity to promote your business while supporting ECHO.

o  Finally, if you have any item which you believe might worthy for our raffle or auction, we are still accepting donations.

As summer comes to a close, we look forward to a great season and to seeing all of you at Bolton Ice Palace, as well as Blackledge, Mohegan Sun and other ECHO events.

Yours on Ice,

Bob Pilney
Co-President ECHO Stars
136 Grandview Street
Manchester, CT 06040
860-402-3541 - C
860-647-9398 - H


    

by posted 08/12/2010
 

  
 


 

    

by Joanne Holm posted 06/02/2010
 

Golf Tournament Committee

It's official this year's ECHO "Tee off to Hockey" Golf Tournament will be Friday September 24th at the Blackledge C.C. in Hebron, CT.  Last year's event was a huge success as we raised $11,400.  Our goal this year is to try to top last year's number.  The co-chairs will again be Mike Wolf and Bob Pilney. We are looking for folks to help before the event as well as the day of the event.  The committee typically will meet once a month usually the last Friday of the month (beginning in June).  All meeting will be held at Bob Pilney's house with beverages being served .  For folks who want to help before the event we need your help securing the following:

·         Golfers 
·         Dinner only Guests
·         Hole & Tee Sponsors
·         Event Sponsor
·         Raffle prizes
·         Silent & Live Auctions items
For those of you who want to help out the day of the event we need help with the following:
·         Golfer Registration
·         Selling Mulligan Tickets
·         Selling Raffle Tickets
·         Photographer (cart provided)
·         Putting out all Hole & Tee Sponsor signs at each hole
·         Collecting all Hole & Tee Sponsor signs after event
·         Sitting at a hole for the 50/50 raffle front nine  Filled by Tom Donnelly
·         Sitting at a hole for the hole-in-one contest
·         Set up of raffle & auction tables
·         Assisting the check out of auction items  Filled By Deb Donnelly
 
This is ECHO's largest single fundraising event of the year and it is a great way to show your support for our kids and have a little fun too!  Please consider participating in the Golf Tournament Committee and help make this year's event even better than last year. Any questions should be directed to Bob Pilney at (h) 860-647-9398, (c) 860-402-3541 or