Last month, Sabres forwards Alex Tuch, Jeff Skinner and Tyson Jost took part in a family skate for the Buffalo Warriors sled hockey team.
The Sabres Foundation has also once again donated $20,000 to support the Buffalo Warriors.
The Buffalo Warriors Hockey program uses the game of hockey as an outlet for mental and physical rehabilitation in a friendly and competitive environment for local veterans.
With the support of the Veterans Affairs Western New York Recreational Services program, the Buffalo Sabres Warriors features over 100 hockey players of all different ages, abilities, and experience. The one common-thread: every player is a veteran.
Members of the Warriors will attend Friday's game as guests of New Wave Energy.
Additionally, the Buffalo Sabres Foundation is making a charitable contribution of $10,000 to the Headstrong Project.
The Headstrong Project is one of the nation's leading mental health care providers for military, veterans, and their family members. The organization was founded in 2012 by three military veterans, Zach Iscol, Al Rabil, and Dave Petrucco, with the goal of helping patients' triumph over trauma by providing effective mental health treatment.
The trio partnered with Weill Cornell Medicine, one of the nation's leading mental health care centers, to develop a first-of-its kind comprehensive treatment program to address the psychological aftermath of trauma.
"It really is impacting lives in such a dramatic way," Matt McCoy, the Headstrong Project's director of digital marketing and content, said. "I've seen this on a day-to-day basis with the veterans that I interact with and the people that reach out and are just thankful that we're in their area and able to serve them because of partnerships like what we have with the Buffalo Sabres."
McCoy, who served for four years in the Air Force and did a tour of duty in Iraq in 2008, feels a sense of gratitude for the opportunity to give back to other veterans. A veteran of the Headstrong program, McCoy has seen firsthand how the program can change lives.
"I take tremendous pride in being able to help veterans like myself, get the treatment that they need to get better and move forward and in triumph over trauma," McCoy said.
Part of McCoy's role with Headstrong is to document the success stories of veterans who go through the program. The shared experiences he has with service members allows him to form a deeper bond that turns into more compelling stories.
"When I'm sitting down and talking to them, I see so much of myself in them," McCoy said. "It feels so good to give back and be on the other side of things knowing that I've been in their position before and I understand what it's like to struggle."
Today, Headstrong treats over 1,400 clients each month at 275 clinics across 15 states. Since its founding, the organization has provided more than $19 million to their clients.
On Friday, the Sabres will also share a video feature focusing on the life of Army veteran Nick Warden, whom Nikki the team dog is named after, and Sondra Lee Ramos, whom Nikki is now in the service of.
