Greetings!
Thanks for taking a moment out of your busy holiday season to check out this newsletter!
We think we've come up with a rather creative solution to Christmas shopping by merging SHOPPING and DONATING with an online EBAY auction of some great items which have been donated to STARskaters this year.
100% of the auction proceeds will go towards STARskaters mission of providing an on-ice experience for individuals with special needs.
And, if you have a hockey player on your shopping list, we may be able to help there as well. Sugar Land Ice & Sports Center is holding a used equipment sale at their rink location, every night from 6:30-8:30pm from December 13-December 18th.
If you have any used equipment to donate, this is an excellent time to drop it off at the rink. Again, 100% of proceeds from the sale will benefit the STARskaters mission.
We do need volunteers to help with this event, so if you can spare a few hours one of these evenings, contact me at jim@STARskaters.org
Finally, we'd like to thank everyone who has helped us grow our programs over the past year, and we invite you to join the ranks. Whether you'd like to skate or donate, please consider getting involved.
Thanks in advance for your consideration...and Happy Holidays!
Sincerely, Jim ONeill STARskaters.org 
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Used Hockey Equipment Sale
Sugar Land Ice & Sports Center
If there is a hockey player on your Christmas shopping list, stop by the Sugar Land Ice & Sports Center from 6:30-8:30pm, Monday to Friday, December 13-18th.
And, if you have any equipment that you'd like to donate to benefit the STARskaters cause, you can drop it off at the rink to the attention of Shawn Feltus or contact him at 281-265-7433 or shawn@sugarlandice.com
We'll also have STARskaters water bottles and t-shirts available for sale.
So, whether you've been thinking of taking up hockey, have kids who have outgrown their equipment and need to move up a size, or just need to upgrade your old equipment, we hope to see you in Sugar Land.
Sugar Land Ice & Sports Center is located at 16225 Lexington Blvd off Highway 6 in Sugar Land.
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Ebay Fundraiser for STARskaters
Get a great gift...and donate at the same time!
 Here's a way to avoid the holiday crowds, get some great sports collectibles for that sports nut on your list, AND donate to a great cause all at the same time!
Click the item name below to be directed right to the EBAY listing and place your bid. If you are in the Houston area, items can be picked up and avoid the shipping charge.
Place your bid now on:
Each of these items was donated to STAR skaters, and some have a rather interesting story. Thanks to NFL Hall of Fame Quarterback Jim Kelly and his brother Ed for the Hall of Fame Football and Ryan Miller Baseball Cap. Ed Kelly lives in Houston and is a longtime supporter of STARskaters and brought these items back after a visit to his brother Jim in Buffalo, NY.
The Hanson Brothers T-shirt was given to STARskaters founder Jim O'Neill after he met the Hanson Brothers while serving as a "stunt ref" on ice with the Hanson Brothers before a Houston AEROS game.
If you have an item you'd like to donate, contact us at donate@STARskaters.org
Happy Bidding!
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Sled Hockey Sponsors Needed
12 Sleds needed for Sled Hockey Program
Sled Hockey is the fastest growing disabled sport in the country. At the most recent Olympics in Vancouver, the USA Sled Hockey team went undefeated and won the gold medal.
In Texas, there are already Sled Hockey teams in Dallas and San Antonio, and STARskaters is working to complete the roster for a full time team in the Houston area, but we need your help.
Our goal is to raise $7,500 to purchase the 12 sleds and sticks needed for this program. We have players waiting for sleds, and your personal or corporate donation can help get them on the ice.
If you know of someone who would like to participate in Sled Hockey, please have them contact us at sledhockey@STARskaters.org
For more information on Sled Hockey, watch the videos in the Video, Audio and Social Links section of this newsletter or visit www.STARskaters.org
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STARskaters Skating Lessons
For individuals with special needs - Saturday Mornings.
 Thanks to our friends at Sugar Land Ice and Sports Center, STARskaters now offers special needs skating lessons every Saturday morning at 9:30am. Be sure to arrive by 9:00 to ensure you have enough time to get your skates fitted properly.
Skaters are instructed by BL Wylie (see profile) and her staff of U.S. Figure Skating trained instructors.
The Basic Skills Therapeutic Curriculum of United States Figure Skating offers the opportunity to achieve specified skills through a set of 14 carefully constructed levels. In addition to the excitement of learning new things each class, newly designed badges can be earned to signify success at each new skill level.
The program is designed to take skaters from the basics, all the way to the Olympic level.
An amazing amount of improvement is seen when specific instructions to particular skills are taught, then accomplished. This gives each skater the incentive to become better and better. Becoming more independent and confident on the ice is greeted with enthusiasm, followed by huge smiles, happy parents and grandparents, skaters' excitement and, not to be forgotten, the volunteer instructors "whose reason to be" is completed by the students' enjoyment of skating.
The program and B.L. Wylie were recently featured in an article in U.S. Figure Skating "Club Spotlight". Click here to read the article. If you know of someone who could benefit from this special needs skating program, or for more information, contact BL@STARskaters.org |
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About STARskaters.org
STARskaters mission is to provide an on ice skating experience for therapy and recreation for children and adults with any special needs, and to support SLED HOCKEY in Houston. The program is open to anyone five years of age or older who would normally be unable to enjoy an on-ice skating experience due to their disability. STARskaters.org is public charity registered in Texas as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation. Tax ID number 26-1657556. All donations are tax deductible. 
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Sponsor Links
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*YOUR COMPANY HERE*
For more information, contact sponsor@STARskaters.org
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STAR Sponsor
2020 Exhibits
You won't find a lot of hockey talk at most companies in Texas, but that's not the case at 2020 Exhibits.
Bob Babine and his brother Pete grew up playing hockey in the Boston area, and Bob played college hockey at Boston College.
Today, their job is to make people and companies look good by designing, creating and installing exhibits, events and environments for many "household name" companies around Houston and the world.
When STARskaters was about to hold our first event, 2020 Exhibits stepped up to donate our first sign, and they have been on our team ever since.
Thanks to Bob and Pete Babine and everyone at 2020 Exhibits for being a STAR sponsor!
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STAR Volunteer
 B.L. WylieU.S. Figure Skating Basic Skills National Chairperson
Every saturday morning at Sugar Land Ice & Sports Center you'll find B.L. and her figure skating instructors on the ice working with a group of special needs ice skaters. The first think you'll notice...there are smiles all around.
STARskaters is fortunate to have a volunteer with B.L.'s extensive experience with figure skating and the U.S Figure Skating organization. Skating runs in the Wylie family. B.L. and her husband Bob both skate, as do their son Paul and daughters Dawn and Claire.
Her son Paul Wylie won a silver medal skating in the 1992 Olympics in Albertville, France skating for Team USA, and can be seen skating in a special on TV this Sunday Dec. 12th on FOX.
B.L. says "I look forward to working with this class each Saturday morning because seeing the smiles on the faces of the skaters, their parents and grandparents shows me they are enjoying this every bit as much as the faculty is".
As the USA Figure Skating basic skills national chairperson, B.L.'s job is to take lessons learned in Sugar Land and extend the opportunity to Special Needs skaters across the country.
B.L. and her program were recently featured in an article in U.S. Figure Skatings newsletter. Click here to read the article.
If you know of someone who could benefit from the STARskaters therapeutic program, contact BL@STARskaters.org
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Sponsors Make It Happen!
Without sponsors and donors, nothing happens.
Thanks to our sponsors, STARskaters is able to bring the cool experience of skating to individuals with physical or developmental disabilities.
We're getting ready to print our new 2011 brochures, so if you'd like to participate as a corporate sponsor, now is the time to get involved!
If you'd like to support our mission, contact us at: sponsor@STARskaters.org
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