Many families that experience the death or disability of a parent are not only strained emotionally, but may also be strained financially. Your financial support of ManAdvantage works directly to ease the burden of misfortune for a child, and helps provide league fees, equipment and more. ManAdvantage wants all kids, not just kids who already play hockey, to enjoy its benefits, so we encourage even inexperienced players to apply.
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About Us
Tommy Ketsenburg
Founder of ManAdvantage
History
Tommy Ketsenburg lost his father as a result of unnecessary violence in 1987. He grew up constantly wondering how different his life might be had he not been given the opportunity to play hockey and receive guidance from his stepfather, a man he describes as his family’s “guardian angel.” Hockey served as an outlet for him — both mental and emotional — keeping him away from activities that can get an emotionally confused kid in trouble.
Hockey teaches individuals to respect themselves and each other. Tommy and the ManAdvantage team strive to create an opportunity for children who have lost a parent or whose parent is disabled; the same opportunity that kept Tommy sharp academically and encouraged good decision-making skills in his youth. ManAdvantage uses hockey as an extremely valuable distraction for children in a highly vulnerable state.
What is a ManAdvantage?
There are times in life when you feel like you’ve been tripped, checked into the boards or been hit from behind. In hockey, these type of offenses result in a power play – your team gets to have more active players than the other team, thus giving your team the man advantage. Some children have the unfortunate circumstance of losing a parent or having a disabled parent. This can sometimes feel like the child is serving a penalty. ManAdvantage works to help these kids feel like they are on the power play instead. By providing the support, financially and professionally, ManAdvantage works to help these kids never feel like they’ve committed the penalty. Keeping these kids involved in hockey regardless of the penalties life has thrown their way, is important for growth, team work and success. ManAdvantage works to keep kids out of the ‘penalty box’ and instead playing with the man advantage!
How It Works
One in nine Americans lost a parent before they were 20 years old.
-New York Life Foundation, 2010.
Why Support ManAdvantage?
What if you could help a child who’s experienced the death or disability of a parent? You could help him or her continue to learn the life lessons of responsibility, fun, teamwork, hard work, respect and more.
Like many sports, hockey provides an escape and helps release added stress or emotion. By supporting ManAdvantage, you enable these children to start learning or continue playing hockey, serving as a valuable outlet during an otherwise troubling time.
ManAdvantage’s mission is to provide children affected by the death or disability of a parent with the opportunity to continue or begin their involvement in the sport of hockey, through the use of corporate sponsors and fundraising.