Giving Back

Kaleb Kurtz is a survivor who is on his second heart transplant and getting ready for his first Dawg Bowl appearance and Survivor Game. Just after being born, Kaleb was flown to Children’s Hospital where he was diagnosed with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. which required a transplant at just 3 months old. After 23 years, Kaleb was diagnosed with Cardiac Allograft Vasculopathy and his conditio…

Hockey is for everyone. Different races, genders and religions. For able-bodied and disabled athletes. And in Dan Schramm’s and many others cases, for blind players as well. Getting ready for his second Dawg Bowl Schramm is inspired by hockey and what it has done for the blind community.  Dan grew up in Vail, Colorado and played competitive hockey until he was 14 year’s old when he was diagnos…

Year after year we have watched members of Dawg Nation overcome incredible odds. This year’s Survivor Game is unlike any other. Because of five heroic donors, we will witness five members of Dawg Nation take the ice after receiving a heart transplant. Patrick, Lily, Sebastian, Kaleb, and Nigel all have received a second chance at life and will proudly skate next Saturday because of the gift of …

Dave Carr is about to make his third survivor game appearance and quite frankly, it is a miracle. On June 5th, 2020 Dave was in a head on car accident in which he was nearly killed. Just a few weeks after the accident, Dave was at the Dawg Bowl X where he was completely surprised with a check to help defray his medical bills. “I was in complete shock, not surprised by how wonderful Dawg Nation…

Written by Jared Miller: Hanna Gootee loves hockey. For one, she gets to follow in her dad’s footsteps and two she loves the passion that people involved in the sport have for the game. But not only for the game, for the community that is brought together for a common love. That is how Hanna found Dawg Nation. Hanna was diagnosed with cancer late in 2021.  After playing in their Survivor Game…

Sebastian Hitzig Sebastian is a very new member in the Dawg Nation family, but has fit right in. At 23 years old while walking at his house, he stepped on a toothpick.  Although he pulled it out, it caused a massive staph infection, which ended up in his heart. 8 months later, he was brought to the hospital and his family was told he had contracted bacterial endocarditis. Sebastian spent 93 da…

Written by Jared Miller: Christian is a two-time liver transplant survivor who is taking his second… well third lease on life and using it to give back to others. He will be playing in this year’s DAWG Bowl on the Sky Dawgs, Cappy’s team, his first tournament appearance on the ice. Christian will also be making his debut as the youngest player in the Survivor Game. At just 20 years old, Christ…

Opening up about mental health has never been something that was easy for me to do. Growing up in the “suck it up and rub some dirt on it” era has ingrained a vulnerability inside my core that is difficult to pierce. But last night I witnessed what real courage and toughness looks like. Johnny, Sandy and Dr. P are strong, courageous and brave men that are willing to share their difficult stor…

It was quite an afternoon/evening at Skylight Specialists for the annual crawfish boil! Danny and Rob’s team crushed it again and blessed me with the opportunity to share the stories of some amazing people and supporters that allow us to impact the lives of so many. Marty Goss of VELUX wowed us by presenting us with a check for $20k as the the Dawg Bowl Naming Sponsor! Sarah Karr wowed m…

Today is about Patrick “P-Daddy” Donnelly. This amazing young man was placed into my life about a year ago and has been my right hand man ever since. Patrick was 21 when he was diagnosed with congestive heart failure that nearly ended his life and required the insertion of a LVAD pump to allow his heart to continue beating. The LVAD was only a temporary fix as my friend has been awaiting a hear…

A Well Earned Award The Jack Kelly Award is given for sportsmanship exemplifying those that play hard, play fair, are gracious in defeat, humble in victory and give back to their community. Michael Maciolek earned the award and checked every box. Play Hard = Whether Mike is playing defense or offense, he gives it all he has even without complaint. He stays positive with his teammates,…

DONATE HERE A Silver Medalist Comes to Town Jesse Compher, who played on the 2022 Women’s USA Olympic team, will be at Ice Ranch on Wednesday, March 30th starting at 5:30PM. There will be a Meet and Greet followed by a skate at 6:15PM with this elite female athlete. This recent silver medalist is dedicated to filling the ranks of women’s hockey with the next generation of talented hocke…