The Helmer’s Give Back to Local School
Hershey Bears VP of Hockey Operations Bryan Helmer heads back to school every December along with his wife Pam. Pam is the co-author of a children’s book which uses hockey to teach valuable virtues to the young reader. “Hero’s Ho Ho Ho Hockey Dream” is a great holiday story with lots of fun and adventure. Bryan and Pam make a few school visits every December to be ambassadors for the game of hockey and teach the importance of learning to children across the local area.
On December 7th they traveled to Miss Healey’s second-grade classroom in Mechanicsburg. Two of the students, Gabby, and Jayden had led a drive to collect stuffed animals for the Teddy Bear Toss on December 4th. In one week in November, they collected 237 animals from Shepherdstown Elementary School.
Those 237 animals were a part of the 6,400 stuffed animals donated from the Mechanicsburg community. The visit was a surprise for the class and they were very excited with their special guests. The kids had been told to wear their favorite sports apparel and many yelled Hershey Bears as Bryan and Pam entered the room.
Miss Healey gets into hockey gear with some assistance from Bryan Helmer
After a brief introduction Bryan showed off his 2010 Calder Cup ring to students, and they got to a surprise for the teacher – they were going to dress Miss Healey up as a hockey player! The kids went crazy. Pants, shoulder pads, jersey, gloves, and helmet all ended up on Miss Healey as the kids’ smiles just grew with each piece of equipment. When the transformation was complete, a big cheer echoed down the hall from the classroom. A class photo was taken to make sure the moment was secured for future smiles.
Then Pam took the lead and prepared the children for the book. It was a great setup because Bryan also showed the pages of the book as Pam read. All the kids were able to see the illustrations and follow along easier. The story emphasized to the children themes of being kind, respectful, positive, and family focused.
The book is written in a way that you can decide whether the main character is a boy or girl. This helps the reader relate to Hero easier. The children loved the book and had some great questions and comments after Pam was done reading it.
Bryan and Pam do a wonderful job promoting the game and associating it with great values in life throughout the community by sharing this book with so many kids each December. I know everyone they come into contact with appreciate their effort and outreach. We are very blessed that the Helmers came back to Hershey.
To learn more or purchase the book, visit: herothehero.com