Columbus North senior Andrew Clark has been involved with hockey since he started skating at about 4 years old, and he wanted to give back to the place that helped him with his hockey career.
For his senior project, Clark put on a charity hockey game between the Columbus Icemen and the Indy South Stars to raise money for the Columbus Youth Program. The charity game was held on Oct. 24, but unfortunately, it was hard for him to heavily publicize it because of the limited fan attendance restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Clark initially thought that would limit the amount of money raised, but he was glad to be proven wrong. The amount of money exceeded his expectations. His goal was to raise around $2,500, but the final tally was more than double to about $5,200.
“I wanted to give back to Columbus Youth Hockey because I’ve been involved with the program for well over 10 years of my life, and it’s been a major part of me growing up,” Clark said. “I really wanted to be able to give back and see what I could do to help out something that’s been a major part of my growth throughout my years in Columbus.”
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Clark said the proceeds will go to toward equipment that needs to be purchased for new players coming into the sport of ice hockey.
“It definitely surprised me,” Clark said. “I was kind of expecting that with COVID-19 and everything else going around that the attendance might have been a little low, but it far exceeded my expectations.”
Clark is the captain for the Columbus Icemen and plays forward for the team. He said during a normal season, the team plays about 40 games a year, but it has been reduced in half to nearly 20 games this season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Although he is undecided on where he wants to attend college next year, Clark wants to try to stay close to home. He wants to major in business and try to play in hockey club or intramural programs wherever he decides to attend.
Clark is humbled that he was able to give back to the place that has been a huge part of his life.
“It’s amazing. It’s something that I’m definitely proud of,” Clark said. “I’m hoping that when that money goes back in the program, I can watch how it’s used to help it prosper and grow.”
