Raiders to Light Up Starr Rink Blue
HAMILTON, N.Y. (1/31/12) – The Colgate women's hockey team
will host its second annual Light Up Starr Rink Blue event during
its home game against ECAC Hockey opponent Union on Friday, Feb. 3
at 7 p.m.
The event will mark the beginning of the team's 2012 Autism
Awareness Project. The Raiders are looking to have over 1,200 fans
help them celebrate their Autism Awareness Project by wearing light
blue to the game. The first 300 fans to arrive at Starr Rink will
receive a free light blue special event t-shirt courtesy of Price
Chopper, Crows, Oliveri's, the Colgate Bookstore, the Colgate Inn,
the Hamilton Inn and Seven Oaks. Any fan wearing light blue, the
color of autism, will get in for free.
The team will also wear special autism jerseys designed by
Christian Mast, an 11-year-old from Upstate New York. Christian is
an author, hockey player, student, friend, brother and son who has
autism, a neurological disorder that affects the normal functioning
of the brain, impacting development in the areas of social
interaction and communication skills. It is characterized, in
varying degrees, by difficulties in social interaction, verbal and
nonverbal communication and repetitive behaviors.
The jerseys will be auctioned off through an online silent auction
that will begin on Feb. 3 after the game.
In addition to other prizes, the Raiders will host their
Inter-Greek Challenge once again, offering a prize to the Greek
organization with the highest percentage of members wearing blue at
the Union game. Gilligan's will also be selling blue ice cream with
proceeds going towards the project.
The team created this project in support of Kati Williams, a local
teenager from Norwich, N.Y. Kati has been an avid fan of Colgate
women's hockey for several years and now works as the team manager.
She has Asperger's Syndrome, which is an autism spectrum disorder
that is characterized by significant difficulties in social
interaction, along with restricted and repetitive patterns of
behavior and interests.
For more information about the auction and the project's events
please visit www.colgate.edu/autism.
