McNamara Annouces Launch of 'Goals for Good'

HAMILTON, N.Y. – Goals For Good is excited to announce the launch of its website, GoalsForGood.org, and is now accepting donations for the inaugural season of the Goals For Good charitable competition. All 12 ECAC Hockey members, both men and women, will take part in the competition, which will raise money for 12 different non-profit charities.

Goals For Good was established to help local communities through competitive sports. Its purpose is to raise money for charities through donations from fans on a per goal or per win format. Kevin McNamara, a Colgate University senior captain on the men's hockey team, states “I've always wanted a way to thank the Colgate and Hamilton communities for the support that they have given ECAC Hockey and specifically, Colgate University hockey. The fact that every team in the league is on board makes this initiative even more special. I feel through Goals For Good, each player in the league will be able to thank their communities for all that they have done.”

Over the course of this past offseason, Goals For Good has collaborated with the captains of the men and women's teams of ECAC Hockey. Each team is now partnered with a charity in close relation to the team, school, and/or community. The money that these teams raise through their goals and wins will go directly to their partnering charity.

“Goals for Good ties together many different aspects for my foundation with the most important being that we now have more advocates fighting for our cause, says Tucker Mullin, Co-Founder of The Thomas E. Smith Fight To Cure Paralysis.  “The amount of money raised will make a difference, but I find more value in how we will be expanding our reach in the hockey community and beyond. Our organization was established because my friend suffered two-separate paralyzing injuries playing the game we all have the privilege of playing every day. Anything we can do to stay involved in a sport that we are so closely connected to was one of our primary goals. Goals For Good is an organization that does just that, but not only for us, but for 11 other causes. It's the perfect vehicle to drive these causes into becoming more recognizable, and more successful."

The teams and charities have partnered as follows:
• Brown University and the Thomas E. Smith Fight To Cure Paralysis
• Clarkson University and Camp Ta-Kum-Ta
•  Colgate University and the Brendan Borek High Tides Memorial Fund
•  Cornell University and the Cancer Resource Center of the Finger Lakes
• Dartmouth College and the Norris Cotton Cancer Center
• Harvard University and the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation
• Princeton University and Hockey Players for Kids
• Quinnipiac University and the Ronald McDonald House of Connecticut
• RPI and the Tyler DeMarco Foundation
• St. Lawrence University and the St. Lawrence Valley Renewal House
• Union College and the V Foundation
• Yale University and the Mandi Schwartz Foundation

Donors will be able to donate a dollar amount per goal that their chosen team scores over the course of an ECAC Hockey weekend series or throughout the season. There is also an additional option for donating an amount per win. Goals For Good has partnered with PinkDingo.com to operate the donation sites for each team throughout the competition.

Goals For Good is hoping that the support from the teams, players, and charities, is a clear indication of the success that this competition will have this season. “Goals for Good is an amazing opportunity to help others while doing something that we love,” said Jordan Elkins, captain of the Quinnipiac University women's hockey team. “Hopefully it will help us all realize how privileged we are to play hockey, while at the same time showing us how easy it is to make a difference if we all work together.”

In addition to the money raised for each team's charity, Goals For Good is also looking for partnerships to provide bonus donations to teams that raise the most money over the course of the season. Thus far, Belmont Hill School in Belmont, Massachusetts has pledged $1,000 to the local food cupboard/soup kitchen of the team that raises the most money. There are several current ECAC hockey players from Belmont Hill. The school will be making this donation in support of their efforts through Goals For Good and the fight against hunger in the United States.

These bonus awards would not go to the charity that the team has partnered with. Instead, the bonus award would go to another area of need within the community. Such areas could be a local food cupboard, local firehouse, or a local youth hockey program to name a few examples.

“We're very happy to be partnered with the Cancer Resource Center of the Finger Lakes,” Cornell University men's hockey captain, Keir Ross, said of their charity teammate for this season. “The fact that we help them out every time we score provides a little extra motivation and we're proud to be a part of Goals For Good.”

About PinkDingo: PinkDingo is a charitable web-platform that is partnering with Goals For Good to help process donations. They focus on event-triggered giving applications much like donating by goal or win.

About Belmont Hill School: Belmont Hill was established in 1923 for boys in the 7th through 12th grade. The school is a member of the Independent School League, and former Harvard hockey player, Jeremiah McCarthy, coaches the school's hockey team. Current ECAC hockey players from Belmont Hill School include Kevin and Jack McNamara of Colgate, Brandon McNally of Dartmouth, John Caldwell of Harvard, and Mike Condon of Princeton.