Flyers Charities and Ed Snider Youth Hockey & Education today established the Bernie Parent Goalie Development Program, to honor Parent’s legacy and to extend his influence as an ambassador to SNIDER for future generations.
In support of establishing the new program, Flyers Charities presented a $50,000 donation which was matched by Ed Snider’s children. The contributions will allow SNIDER, in partnership with Flyers Charities, to deliver high-quality training, academic support, life skills, and leadership development for more than 100 goalies within SNIDER Hockey. Fans can also support the Bernie Parent Goalie Development Program by visiting sniderhockey.org.
“Bernie was an unwavering champion for our student-athletes and coaches, inspiring them to strive for excellence,” said Scott Tharp, President, Ed Snider Youth Hockey & Education. “We are grateful to our partners at the Philadelphia Flyers and Flyers Charities for enabling us to honor Bernie’s remarkable legacy. Together, we will continue to empower young men and women to pursue their aspirations of becoming goalies, while guiding them on a productive path of education and career opportunities.”
“Bernie dedicated his life to hockey,” said Blair Listino, Board Chair of Flyers Charities and Flyers Alternate Governor. “From his playing career to developing young talent and staying deeply connected through alumni events, he was never far from the game he loved. There is no better way to honor his legacy than by establishing a goalie-focused program with SNIDER that builds a passion for the position, advances on-ice skills, supports academic growth, and strengthens the leadership abilities of young goalies.”
The Program reflects the values instilled by Parent, who served as an ambassador for SNIDER for 20 years. Through his numerous visits to SNIDER programming, games, and other events, he emphasized excellence, enthusiasm, generosity, and joy to the student-athletes and coaches.
Additionally, the Program will include experiences inspired by Parent that foster a lifelong love of hockey. These experiences aim to prepare young people for success both on and off the ice, helping them navigate the game of life.
The late Philadelphia Flyers founder Ed Snider created Ed Snider Youth Hockey & Education with the ultimate goal to build lives and unite communities. He wanted to assure that Philadelphia’s inner-city young men and women had an opportunity to succeed in the game of life. With hockey as the hook to lure kids into the program, the emphasis was and continues to be education. SNIDER offers after-school educational assistance helping guide its participants from crayons to careers, ultimately affording those student-athletes that graduate through the program a free, four-year college tuition to one of several area colleges.