CUW Hockey Programs Once Again Raise Awareness for Mental Health

MEQUON, Wis. – The Concordia Wisconsin hockey programs are using hockey to do something for the greater good over the next two weekends at the Ozaukee Ice Center, as the CUW hockey programs and the Homestead High School boy's hockey team will participate in a series of games to raise awareness about the importance of mental health and raise money for the CK Choose Kindness Foundation.

This is the second-straight year that the Concordia teams have participated.

"The CK Choose Kindness Foundation was created to honor Cam Kranich, a former 2019 HHS student and hockey player who passed away in 2019," the Kranich family said in a statement. "The CKCK foundation awards annual scholarship grants to students who embrace 'choosing kindness,' by making positive impacts in other people's lives. Additionally, the foundation's objectives are to create positive community awareness around mental health as mental health impacts everybody, to minimize any associated stigma by letting people know that 'It's OK to not feel OK,' and to contribute to organizations with infrastructures and programs focusing on mental health (like NAMI and AFSP)."

The Hockey Community Mental Health Awareness Weekend is a two-weekend event. On Friday, the CUW NCAA Division III women's hockey team will host St. Norbert at 3:30 p.m., followed by the CUW NCAA Division III men's hockey team playing Trine next weekend and the ACHA Division II hockey team hosting Sault next weekend.

"Mental health affects everyone. As a growing university, we have seen the growth in demand for mental health services for all members of our community: faculty, staff, and students. Concordia University Wisconsin is committed to developing students in mind, body and spirit, and we see this collaboration as an action step to raise awareness around the importance of positive mental health," CUW Director of Athletics Dr. Rob Barnhill said. "The Choose Kindness Foundation and Homestead High School already had a partnership that I was hoping to join to increase the visibility and the viability of the cause by bringing our CUW hockey community to the table."

The CK Choose Kindness Foundation is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Please visit www.ckchoosekindness.com for more information.