Islanders and Nationwide Treat Children to Holiday Event at UBS Arena

The New York Islanders partnered with Nationwide Mortgage to host a holiday event with children in need at UBS Arena for Saturday's game.
The families, which were selected with help from the WE CARE fund were greeted by Sparky and brought to Isles Lab, where each kid received a $100 gift card to take home items of their choice from the team store, followed by dinner at Belmont Hall. The kids then got to take in the game and take a picture on the ice afterwards.

The WeCare Fund, the charitable arm of the Nassau County Bar Association, partnered with the Martin Luther King Center in Rockville Centre to donate tickets to underserved youth in Nassau. The MLK Center hosts afterschool programs and community activities for kids and has locations across Long Island.
"We got donated tickets, brought the kids here," MLK Center volunteer Chanel Harris said. "It's my first time at a hockey game, so it'd be a fun experience. I can't wait to see it."

The WeCare Fund chose to collaborate with the MLK Center, and Mercy First, for this event because they're smaller organizations where their contributions make a big impact, according to WeCare Fund co-chair Joseph Piccolo. The WeCare Fund donates to a number of organizations across Nassau County.
Piccolo said the WeCare Fund wanted to bring the kids to an Islanders game for the holiday season.
"Christmas is early this year," Piccolo said. "Santa has come, not the big old red man, but Sparky has been here. Sparky spent time with the children and they're going home with gifts from Isles Lab... and they're going to get to go on the ice. It's going to an be incredible memory for them."