AMERKS COMPLETE ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL SEASON OF THE WENDY’S READING POWER PLAY PROGRAM
Jan 30, 2024
By Andrew Mossbrooks | @Mossbrooks48
The Amerks and community in Rochester aren’t mutually exclusive. They act hand in hand and without the community, there would be no professional hockey team, let alone one with such pedigree and longevity as the Rochester Americans.
That’s why for the 18th season, the Amerks partnered with the Monroe County Library System, along with Wendy’s®, for another season of the Amerks Reading Power Play Program. Since Nov. 8, the Amerks saw nine players combine to appear at nine libraries, three Wendy’s locations and read to hundreds of children across the Greater Rochester Area.
“I was that age once,” said Brandon Biro, who appeared at the Fairport Public Library in November. “I remember getting to meet players at events like this in my hometown. I know what it can mean to young kids and so to help give back to an experience I had when I was a kid is pretty cool.”
“It was awesome to see so many kids and parents come out to join our reading session,” said Linus Weissbach, who put a bow on this season’s program last night at the Chili Memorial Library. “It’s great to be a part of our community. I hope to continue seeing more of them come out to our games and hopefully future reading appearances for next season.”,
At each Reading Power Play Program appearance, Amerks players were accompanied by The Moose while reading children’s books to the youth in Rochester to promote reading and education in the Flower City. Several Amerks who participated in the event were also promoting education through first-hand experience.
“It’s a huge part of the Amerks philosophy,” said Graham Slaggert, a University of Notre Dame graduate who made two appearances for the Reading Power Play Program. “I think it takes me back to my roots, too, of growing up around the rink and growing up around hockey. It’s huge to give back to the kids that look up to us because I had a ton of people that I looked up to. It’s awesome to interact with them and hopefully we made their day when we were able to do these appearances.”
“A small task like reading a book to them goes a long way,” said Mason Jobst, a three-time Ohio State Scholar-Athlete and two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection. “It’s such a cool experience. When you go in the room and see all the kids get so excited that you’re there is just awesome. There’s a lot of hockey fans there, but there were lots of people who maybe don’t know as much about hockey and that made it a good experience for them to learn and for us to give back.”
In addition to reading, children were able to ‘dress like an Amerk’ at each participating location with the help of a player decking out a child in Amerks gear from head to toe. Along with that, kids were encouraged to participate in question-and-answer sessions with each player to learn more about them, before leaving the event with autographed photos in hand and a ticket to a future Amerks home game during the 2023-24 regular season.
“It’s a good opportunity to give back to the community,” said Riley Stillman, a first-year Amerk who attended a reading appearance at the Henrietta Public Library on Jan. 22. “They’re a big part of what we do every night. The community here are our biggest supporters, so the more that we can do to be there for the kids and be involved in the community is awesome. I’m all for it.”
The efforts of the Amerks in their community hasn’t gone unnoticed. In past seasons, the team has been acknowledged by the AHL as recent as 2022, where Rochester came away with the AHL Community Service Excellence Award among all Eastern Conference teams for exceptional community relations efforts. This is something those who wear the red, white, and blue don’t take for granted, especially given the challenges that existed in a pandemic world not too long ago.
“It’s something that we didn’t get to do my first year because of COVID,” said Amerks head coach Seth Appert. “Even the second year was somewhat limited because of restrictions relative to COVID. It’s extremely important to have our players out in the community showing our appreciation for what this city and the people of the city do for us.”
The Amerks Reading Power Play Program has closed the book on season 18, but more community initiatives will be unveiled as the season rolls on. Come next fall, the Amerks will return to libraries and Wendy’s locations across the city to deliver smiles, laughs, and lessons for the youth in Rochester for a 19th season.