Teno Foundation Update

[Aimee 1,074]

During the off season, we followed Jesse Teno as they spent their time off working with the Teno Foundation to continue to bring hockey and hockey equipment to underprivileged youth. As of today, the Teno Foundation has raised $1.5 million which has allowed them to provide lessons, equipment, and support to over 5,000 children ages 3 to 18. The money has also been invested into local rinks to fix surfaces, re-line rinks, build out concession stands, and install bleachers. With the volunteers and Jesse Teno’s support from their professional sponsors, the foundation has been able to provide incredible experiences for kids who otherwise would never have been able to afford them.

 

We decided to look into a day of both a volunteer for the organization and Jesse themselves to get a feel for how this still fledgling foundation is doing so well. 

 

It was a Saturday morning when we entered Riley Rink in Manchester, Vermont, the home town of Jesse Teno and the unofficial headquarters of the Teno Foundation. When you walk in, you can still smell the hint of fresh paint, the bleachers still glisten, and the food stand smells like actual food and not built up grease. It’s hard to tell that this was once a community rink with cracks in the cement floor and nothing more than a microwave and fridge for concessions. When asked about the quality of the improvements, Jesse Teno had this to say;  “I know it’s not the nicest community rink in the world but really this foundation is about giving kids an overall good experience so that they can succeed; not to make some state of the art high-tech facility. Maybe one day we can do that but right now, the funding is enough to bring kids an elevation from the basics and that’s what matters.” 

 

For the day that we followed them around, Jesse spent most of their time in meetings with volunteers and companies to plan the next renovations. As the volunteers exited, some headed out of the building to work on other projects while a few changed into coaching gear for the group of kids who had lessons that day. The foundation is offering lessons for kids starting at five years old going all the way up to eighteen. Today’s group at the rink were about a dozen middle schoolers, about thirteen years old, who all had some experience playing hockey. But thanks to the Teno Foundation, these kids were able to experience real drills and practice. We spoke with some of them and one of the boys stated “it’s a lot of fun. I like having someone who is like a real coach. I want to play in the VHL one day so it’s good that we can do this.”

 

“Honestly, it’s amazing helping these kids,” said one of the college-age volunteers. “It’s a lot of fun teaching them the basics and watching them grow into their abilities. I think a few of them might actually have what it takes to make it big one day.”

 

It seems that all around, the Teno Foundation is having a substantial impact on the community; on both the kids and volunteers. Jesse has certainly made a difference in these kids' lives and we hope that the foundation can continue to be successful and bring hockey to even more kids in the future.

 

563 words for week ending 7/2/2023