Flyers excited to jump back into the community with new charity initiative and first-ever Casino Night

The Flyers were created by a man known for his humanitarian efforts, but COVID-19 has cut them off from Ed Snider’s mission for the last two years.

With restrictions lifting for the coming season, the Flyers are jumping back into the community with help from a new initiative spearheaded by Valerie Camillo, president of business operations for Comcast Spectacor.

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“[The last two years], we feel very removed as an organization from this legacy, this great connection that we have with the city,” Camillo said. “And so that’s been very much on everyone’s mind and hearts. We’ve got to get out there. We’ve got to engage. And the players have to be a central part of that.”

Starting with the 2022-23 season, all players on the Flyers roster will be paired with a community initiative. Many already work in the community and will continue working with those programs. Those who have not previously gotten involved will work with Cindy Stutman and her team at Flyers Charities to find causes they are interested in.

The idea wasn’t “created from scratch,” Camillo said. Many players already use their platform to help others. However, now the Flyers organization will be able to provide more structure, support and publicity for that work.

All the programs and initiatives will be locally based. For players who have organizations based elsewhere or work with national causes, the Flyers will help them to find a way to connect that work to the area.

Winger Cam Atkinson, for example, has worked with military and first responders, causes close to his heart because of his cousins who serve and his brothers who are firefighters. Those are national causes, but he has made it local by talking to the families of military members and veterans in the Flyers community as well as by supporting Flyers Warriors, a program that offers injured and disabled U.S. military veterans the opportunity to play hockey.

“And that’s kind of the extent of what I did this year,” Atkinson said. “Just with the COVID rules, there’s only so much we could have done, so I didn’t really get my boots on the ground like I usually do.”

As a veteran player, Atkinson, 33, has had time to find his passions and learn how to use his platform to help others, and this initiative will help him localize that. Atkinson imagines it will do the same for other newcomers to the Flyers, and it will help young players who have not yet figured out what causes they’re passionate about.

“Maybe they can find out what kind of hits home to them or what they can relate to or they have other personal experiences with, and they’re like, ‘Oh, I really want to do this or try that,’” Atkinson said.

New Flyers coach John Tortorella, was “all over it and loved it” when he learned about the initiative, Camillo said. He jumped right in with an appearance at the Snider Hockey graduation. He also has various foundations helping animals, such as Bear’s Angels, which helps abused and abandoned animals.

On top of the new initiative, the Flyers also are holding their Flyers Wives Carnival benefitting Flyers Charities for the first time in two years as well as a their first-ever casino night.

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The Flyers typically hold a golf tournament, but Camillo said they were looking for fresh ideas that would get a different set of fans involved. They talked to others around the league, and numerous teams mentioned their casino nights. The Washington Capitals gave them feedback from their event and said they found it provides a more comfortable setting for fans to interact with the players as they sit at tables playing games side by side.

Real money won’t be at stake, but there will be prizes as well as the opportunity for fans to get to know their favorite players on a different level.

Details for the events and the community initiatives haven’t been formalized yet, but Camillo said to expect Flyers social media to share more about it soon. They hope that by spreading the word through their own channels, they will get more than just players involved in giving back.

“Then someone who follows our team, maybe they want to learn more about it, maybe they want to get involved, maybe they want to give,” Camillo said. “So that’s a real benefit to having a structured, formal approach to the players’ connection with these different charities.”