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Mostly Cloudy Hockey players prepare young athletes for future careers
The 43 Oak Foundation, UBS, UBS Arena and the New York Islanders are teaming up to help young athletes with their future careers — on and off the ice — through their mentorship program.
On Dec. 6, the nonprofit foundation hosted its first-ever in-person mentorship session at UBS Arena for aspiring young hockey players who want to strengthen their leadership skills, gain exposure to the variety of college and career pathways and share common experiences as student-athletes.
Students were able to connect with UBS corporate volunteers and the Islanders, as well as watch a game following the program between the Islanders and the St. Louis Blues.
The 43 Oak Foundation serves disadvantaged youth, ages 13 to 22, in the New York metropolitan area. The foundation’s mission is to aid the educational development of young minority or underprivileged athletes through hockey. The organization gives individuals without the financial means, or who face other barriers, the chance to be exposed to the sport.
“A lot of these kids need extra mentors in their life to guide them,” Sean Grevy, the nonprofit’s founder, said. “The mentorship piece to me is the single most important piece of the entire program, not the ice hockey. Nothing is more important than education.”
Through the sponsorship from UBS and the Islanders, the 43 Oak Foundation is able to provide transportation, equipment, ice time, funding for travel hockey leagues, tournaments and other necessary resources for the young players.
Anneliese Mesilati, head of brand activation, sponsorship and events at UBS Americas, said the program is a combination of on-ice hockey training and the off-rink training with the mentorship sessions. Skills such as resume writing and public speaking can often be overlooked, but are essential whether someone wants to become a professional hockey player or try another profession, she said.
UBS Arena staff and the management team have been part of the mentorship program, as well as some hockey players, who speak to the students about leadership.
Eric Cairns, a former Islanders defenseman and the team’s current director of player development, talked about how he advanced his hockey career and offered a few pointers.
“Being coachable is very important in life,” Cairns told the crowd. “You have to be willing to be vulnerable enough to open up and think deeper within yourself. You got to do things that are uncomfortable in order to try and make yourself better as a hockey player, or even a person.”
During the mentor breakout sessions, the students are presented real-life challenges and are taught necessary life skills to prepare them for college, careers and beyond. At the recent session, the young athletes tested their presentation and interview skills in an exercise with their fellow hockey players.
Kashif Abdul-Mutakabbir, 13, was one of the dozens of young athletes who attended the mentorship session. He said he first started playing ice hockey when he was two and inherited his passion from his dad, who always wanted to play the sport but lived in a neighborhood with no hockey rinks.
Abdul-Mutakabbir said his father asked if he and his brother wanted to pursue ice hockey and they were both “super pumped” to do it. He now plays in Brooklyn for Aviator Hockey and said he felt excited to see the Islanders play in person.
“I get to fulfill my father’s dream,” Abdul-Mutakabbir said. “The foundation helped me a lot because my dad is going through a lot currently. Mr. Sean (Grevy) has been able to help us out by buying hockey sticks and has helped with my hockey tuition for this year.”
Mesilati added that UBS has developed a strong relationship with the Sewanhaka School District in creating events for the students in the community. They hosted a financial literacy and college prep day in September, which drew more than 400 juniors and seniors from five high schools. The high school students learned about investments, formulating budgets and money management.
Mesilati said it is crucial that the UBS continues to create helpful initiatives like these for the community to engage in.
“Whether it’s financial literacy or sports management, we try to give access to the arena when we can,” Mesilati said. “It is really important that we integrate ourselves within the community. It’s a real long-term goal for us.”
