NHL names finalists for Willie O’Ree Community Hero Award
Voting has opened for the Willie O’Ree Community Hero Award, the NHL announced on Monday.
The award was introduced in 2018 to “recognize the individual who has worked to make a positive impact on his community, culture or society to make people better through hockey” and is named after Willie O’Ree, the first Black player ever to play in the NHL.
The finalists this year are Noel Acton of Baltimore, Maryland, Ryan Francis of Cole Harbour, Nosa Scotia, and Meredith Lang of Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Noel Acton (Baltimore, Md.), Ryan Francis (Cole Harbour, N.S.) and Meredith Lang (Minneapolis, Minn.) have been named finalists for the fifth annual Willie O’Ree Community Hero Award presented by @massmutual. #NHLAwards
Details: https://t.co/4sM1XAmq5t pic.twitter.com/llsowMajym
Acton is the founder of the Tender Bridge Foundation, which is focused on getting kids off the street and into sports programs. Over 20 years, the Tender Bridge Foundation has supported more than 500 boys and girls in East Baltimore.
Francis, a member of Acadia First Nation, helped launch the Indigenous Girls Hockey Program in Nova Scotia, which encourages young Mi’kmaq girls to play hockey. In its first two years, the program has had 190 unique participants.
Lang is the co-founder of two organizations, Hockey Niñas and Minnesota Unbounded. Hockey Niñas gathers information and shares resources to make it easier for anyone who wants to get into hockey and Minnesota Unbounded is a league comprised entirely of girls and women of color.
Voting is open until April 17 and the winner receives $25,000 donated to a charity of their choice.