It could not have rained harder. Yet nothing could dampen the spirit of the players from NorthEast Elite Hockey League, Walpole, MA. who showed up to do what they have done together many times before. The annual Alzheimer's Walk took place in Boston, MA on a rain-soaked Sunday morning in late September 2008. Volunteers from Need to Lead showed up en masse to handle any and all event support necessary to make the day and the effort flawless. They set up tables, carried barrels for trash to specific locations, set up water stations, organized teams for support during the race, and lingered afterwards for a thorough cleanup. They did all of this together.

This type of work is nothing new for these young hockey players. For years, Rob Reilly, founder of Need To Lead (NTL), and Director of the Northeast Elite Hockey (NEH) Program, has sheparded young players from his developmental hockey league into charitable event work. He hopes to build a sense of commitment and service to others among his players. To Rob, and the many players he has mentored in this work, it is, and always will be, about more than just hockey.

Need To Lead embodies the principles of selflessness, commitment, humility and compassion. Throughout the hockey season at the NEH, Reilly and his coaching staff weave together a package of hockey instruction that includes intense skill development and competitive play. Enmeshed in their mission and commitment to develop young hockey players to their full potential is a parallel mission to teach youngsters about the importance of giving back to their community, about taking their role as a student athlete seriously, and nurturing a heightened awareness among players about the needs of others around them.

On the heels of the Alzheimer’s Walk came the annual Jolly Jaunt sponsored by Massachusetts Chapter of The Special Olympics. This event is a primary fundraiser for the Special Olympics enabling them to provide regional contests for participants in the spring. Volunteers from the NEH handled all aspects of set up, event support and break down that day. Jay O’Brien, Southeast Region Coordinator for Special Olympics praised Need To Lead volunteers for being an organization that comes to Special Olympic events consistently.

Reilly’s influence on his players and his commitment to charitable endeavors runs deep within the Northeast Elite Hockey organization at Iorio Arena in Walpole, MA. As the holidays approached he partnered with his lifelong friends and owners of the NEH, Rob & Chrissy Barletta, to organize a toy drive for My Brother’s Keeper. Players and families from the NEH. Walpole Express Junior Hockey program, Walpole Lady Rebels, and Rob Barletta Hockey School, generously donated hundreds of toys for needy children. For nearly 3 weeks in the midst of the usual jam- packed hockey schedule and the bustle of the holidays, players from all levels of Barletta’s hockey organization staffed a toy donation table in the foyer of the rink. It was a priceless sight to see Junior Hockey college prospects sitting side by side with Mites, Squirts and PeeWees supporting a cause so worthy!

On December 17, 2008, players from the high school division of the NEH packed up Walpole Express Junior Hockey vans and trekked the donations to My Brother’s Keeper warehouse in Easton, MA. The following week, several veteran members of Need To Lead volunteered to deliver the presents to recipients in the city of Boston.

In the coming months Reilly will launch a school-based initiative in the Walpole area called, Know Your Role. This initiative will allow Reilly and his players to bring the message of leadership and responsibility to one’’s community directly to student-athletes in the greater Boston area schools.

What’s the value of all this you might ask? Why something more than the traditional instruction of hockey? Tim McWade has been an NEH player and Need To Lead Student Coordinator for many years. He is currently a high school senior at the prestigious Xaverian Brothers High School in Westwood, MA. Tim’s accomplishments in the classroom are many, and have no doubt put him in a position to apply to and interview at some of the finest undergraduate programs in the area. Tim recently discussed how his acceptance letter to one of his top three school choices included a handwritten “P.S.” from the Dean of Admissions saying, “ I think the work you have been doing with Need To Lead is very impressive.” Tim also feels that in addition to the boost the work has given to his college resume he has gained a great deal more from his hockey years at NEH. He eloquently highlights a shared sense of purpose when he writes, “you really only see one side of someone when you’re playing hockey…but when you get together with them on a weekend afternoon to volunteer for Special Olympics or get together on a rainy, windy, Saturday for the Alzheimer’s Walk, those are the times you really get to know these people. They are no longer just teammates but close friends. John Fassak, a Xaverian classmate of McWade’s and longtime NEH player concurs, crediting his friendship with McWade to the many Need To Lead events that they have done together. John too, insists that the hockey has been enhanced with the volunteer opportunities and has instilled a solid sense of shared purpose among his friends in the league. John will be a senior at Xavarian Brothers High School in September of 2010. He is already interviewing with United States Military Schools admissions people and felt proud to say that he has logged over 150 hours of service time with Need To Lead. McWade will pass the Student Coordinator torch to him as he graduates from Xaverian. Johnny is already busy organizing younger players in the league for spring and summer Need To Lead events.

For his part, Rob Reilly relishes the idea that the kids have taken on the leadership role in the organization. Always reluctant to credit himself Rob would rather point to the potential that is inherent in every youngster and the responsibility of the adults around them to nurture it. He has certainly done this, and most recently has seen the fruit of that effort in his own son, Trevor Reilly, a second grade student at St. Mary’s School, Danvers, MA. Trevor recently organized a book drive to benefit a local charity, Cradles to Crayons. Following the example of his dad, Tim and Johnny, Trevor wrote a letter to the NEH league asking for unused book donations for children. Trevor’s letter acknowledged that some children do not have the resources necessary to access books and enjoy them. He asked the league to please bring their book donations to the rink. The response has been overwhelming. Trevor will undoubtedly remember the enormous stack of books in the foyer of Iorio rink as much as the fun and excitement of playing Mite hockey with his friends at NEH. They are both vitally important to the development of a young player.

The value of this experience appears clear. Most us know that hockey careers are relatively short for most kids. Nowadays if you earn the opportunity to wear your high school team jersey you are lucky. The sheer numbers of youth hockey players has created a juggernaut at the upper levels of hockey. Reilly and his coaching staff have developed a formula for getting the most out of their young hockey players (over 150 former NEH players participated in the 2009 MIAA tournament in Massachusetts this year) while developing purpose, responsibility and service among his players. Hockey and humanity…. What could be better?