Gabe Acuna

Way back in 2012, We were introduced to an infant named Gabriel Acuna. Gabe was born with fairly severe deformities to his left leg that required multiple surgeries in hopes that he would live the life of an active normal boy. Dawg Bowl II gave us the platform to rally for this little trooper and we even coined the event, “Goals for Gabriel”. This was the first time we asked teams to “pass the hat” in what has now become a staple of Dawg Nation events. It was early on in our existence, but we were able to provide the Acuna family with a substantial check that was used to offset some of the mounting medical costs. Fast forward to 2019, we were hosting our annual “Dawg Nation Night at DU” when cute little fella came up to us and introduced himself as Gabe. He then said, “I wanted to thank you for changing my life.” It took us a bit to figure out that this was the same eight month old baby that we held in our arms in June of 2012! The next week the Dawg Father made arrangements to skate with this miracle child and we were blown away by his amazing skating skills! After that, Gabe continued to climb the hockey ranks, playing at levels none of us could have imagined.

There have been a few setbacks, including a badly broken leg last year, but that hasn’t deterred this remarkable young man. Gabe has worked really hard to recover and this Saturday he will be captain of a team called, “Goals for Gabriel” at the CLASH 3v3 tourney at Promenade Ice Centre. If you want to be inspired, come on out and be blown away by Gabe and all the other amazing individuals that simply don’t give up on their dreams!

Please consider joining us the weekend and thank you to all that support our cause that allows us to continue to change lives and be part of life changing stories like Gabe’s.