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Thank you to all who have generously supported us and especially those of you receiving this update.  I am pleased to say that the Vinnie Marroni Miracle Assist Foundation has received official 501 (c)(3) status as a recognized non-profit organization from the Internal Revenue Service.  This means that your contributions for 2021 and beyond are tax deductible by referencing our tax ID number 87-2087041.

With that in place we have begun our outreach program of contacting junior hockey teams and having them sign up with our organization and agreeing to have mental health care clinicians added to their current staff of team doctors to provide care for their players when needed.  Upon signing up, we find each team a local (when available) psychiatric provider and therapist or counselor that agrees to provide priority appointments to the players of their team when needed.  This process has been much more difficult than we had anticipated, as four to six month wait times for appointments are not uncommon, further underscoring our understanding of just how dire the need is for more people in this field of work.  

We believe that this arrangement will benefit all parties involved in the relationship with the foundation.  The players, typically aged 16-21, many of whom are from all across North America and Europe, may not have insurance that covers this type of care and thus be reluctant to seek help when needed.  The teams that sign up with us get a powerful recruiting tool to attract talent as well as a means to help keep their players mentally healthy and available to play. The clinicians that participate in the program get the benefit of knowing that their fees will be covered by the Foundation in the event that insurance does not.  We also plan to have introductory materials available for participating teams for the start of next season as well as a type of orientation presentation to impart the importance of care to players and coaches.  It is also our hope that this diverse group of players exposed to our program will have new attitudes and awareness of mental health priorities and carry that with them going forward in life, becoming ambassadors of change and having a positive influence on the many parts of the world that they are from and to which they go.

For our initial push, we are introducing our program in the NA3HL's Frontier division, which consists of eight teams in Montana, Wyoming and South Dakota.  We feel that the vastness of the geography involved and the culture shock that many players coming here may experience, especially those leaving their homes for the first time, lends itself to an increased need to cope with anxiety, depression and many other unfamiliar mental health perils that players may experience.  Another reason in deciding where to start is that Vinnie is an alumnus of the Great Falls Americans and we felt it important to continue his story there. 

For our progress to date, we have three teams signed up.  The Butte Cobras, the Bozeman Ice Dogs and the Great Falls Americans.  We would like to extend a special thank you to Willow Rossmiller who put in the work to set up Great Falls with its own integrated mental health care program. So far it has been much more difficult than expected to find local clinicians for the teams and may be necessary to utilize telehealth services when needed. We of course are gladly accepting referrals for therapists, counselors and providers that might be interested in participating either now or in the future. 

Looking ahead, the new year will bring continued expansion of our outreach efforts as well as the assembling and announcement of our board of directors.  We look forward to sharing our progress with you and greatly appreciate your very generous support in 2021 and beyond.  We are hopeful that 2022 will be a much better year for everyone and their families and are excited about the possibility to help make that happen.