The Coast Guard Foundation (CGF), a non-profit organization committed to the education and welfare of all Coast Guard members and their families, recently announced that it has received a donation of $2,568 from the Guilford High School Ice Hockey Booster Club to benefit the CGF’s Fallen Heroes Fund and Scholarship Fund.

Coast Guard members and their families benefit from the CGF’s programs throughout the country. The CGF provides college scholarships and grants for enlisted Coast Guard members, spouses, and their children; supports Coast Guard members by providing equipment and supplies onshore and at sea, including fitness centers and donated boats; and provides relief and emergency assistance to family and friends through its Fallen Heroes Fund when a Coast Guard member is on active duty.

Loralyn Cropper, the CGF’s Northeast regional director of philanthropy, received the donation from Indians’ boys’ ice hockey Head Coach Ralph Russo and senior captains Kyle Dwyer and Ricky Sandella in a presentation at Guilford High School on Feb. 16.

“We chose the Coast Guard Foundation after considering the far-reaching scope of the vital services the Coast Guard provides our shoreline community, state, and nation,” said Coach Russo. “We are more aware and appreciative of these services due to the positive contributions of active and retired Coast Guard members and their families who live in our community.”

The donation was a result of Guilford’s Holiday Hockey Invitational that was held from Dec. 27-30 at Ingalls Rink in New Haven. The tournament drew teams from Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Maine. In addition to each team’s donation, the booster club collected donations in lieu of game admission fees.

“It is with tremendous gratitude that I accept this gift on behalf of the Coast Guard Foundation and the Coast Guard members and families who will benefit from the generosity of the Guilford High School boys’ ice hockey team and the teams that participated in the holiday tournament,” said Cropper. “Thank you for making a real difference for those who serve.”

To learn more about the Coast Guard Foundation or to help support its work, visit www.coastguardfoundation.org.