Photo courtesy of David Still II and the Barnstable Patriot.

Barnstable Youth Hockey Enthusiasts raise the $50,000 check presented to the Hyannis Youth & Community Center in January.

As might be expected, the Barnstable Youth Hockey Association recently presented the Hyannis Youth and Community Center Foundation with a generous gift in the amount of $65,000. “We are just so pleased and happy to provide this donation”, said BYHA Treasurer John Robichaud. “For years the Barnstable Youth Hockey Association has struggled to find quality ice time. Every year, we have more than 450 skaters in a program that starts Labor Day”, he added, which necessitates the rental of ice from fully enclosed rinks outside of Barnstable. “We’re looking forward to buying more ice time for our expanding program in our own town.” Robichaud also sees the opportunity for expanded skating and other sports programs housed in a “great facility for the entire town of Barnstable.”

While the Donation Thermometers rise, plans are underway for a gala spring skating exhibition in March and a celebrity golf tournament in the spring. Donation cans placed in local businesses are also getting filled by Barnstable citizens who are showing they care about the future of their community.

In partnership with the Town of Barnstable, the Hyannis Youth and Community Center Foundation has launched a capital campaign to raise the $14 million needed to build the Center. The Center will be built with a combination of Federal and private foundation grants, individual and corporate philanthropy, and bonds, which will be repaid from revenues. The operating budget of the facility will also be paid for out of revenues. Fundraising to date has generated $10.36 million of the $14 million projected cost. There are no plans for Town funds to be diverted to this project from other critical needs such as schools, roads and public safety.

This state of the art facility will provide much needed recreational and community services to the youth and residents of the Town of Barnstable. Design plans will include a youth center, gymnasium, two full size ice rinks, and all-purpose community meeting rooms. The facility will be constructed where the Kennedy Memorial Skating Rink currently stands, to better serve the large number of families with a high need for youth-related services in the immediate neighborhood. Financial status will not be a barrier to participation at the Center.

Tax deductible donations should be made payable to the Hyannis Youth & Community Center Foundation and mailed to P.O. Box 1604, Hyannis, MA 02601. For more information, call (508)775-6769.