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Skate Without Limits
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UCP hockey fundraiser to help
Detroiters with disabilities.
to all our
clients, family
& friends
Fron
il
Allison Batdorff
I Special to the Jewish News
T
resch and
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14 March 21 • 2013
5328 Highland Rd, Waterford Ml 48327
248-673-0100
he bone-chilling moment
when the shofar sounds dur-
ing Rosh Hashanah always
thrilled Michaela Kaplan. The little girl
also loved horseback riding, floating on
her back in swimming pools and going
through the car wash.
Before passing away in 2009 at age
5, Michaela "elevated" her family with
the force of her love, intellect and happy
personality. She didn't "suffer" with
cerebral palsy, rather her disability
infused her and those around her with
a sense of purpose, and personified tol-
erance and inclusion, according to her
mother, Gabriella Burman, who lives in
Huntington Woods with her husband,
Adam Kaplan, and children Ayelet and
Maayan.
"Michaela was a small child with a
huge capacity to change people's lives:'
said Burman. "We miss her terribly, but
we keep her close by staying committed
to helping people with disabilities:'
Burman serves on the board of direc-
tors of UCP of Metro Detroit and helped
plan the upcoming United Cerebral
Palsy Skate Without Limits fundraiser
March 30. Burman won't attend the
event because she is Shabbat observant,
but she called it a "great cause:'
Skate Without Limits features two
games: the nationally recognized
Michigan Sled Dogs at 4 p.m. followed
by the UCP Pucksters against the
Detroit Red Wings Alumni at 6 p.m.
This event is UCP's largest local fund-
raiser. In 13 years, this event has raised
more than $200,000. UCP of Metro
Detroit provides services to families
impacted by cerebral palsy and other
disabling conditions.
"The people we met through
Michaela are nothing less than angels
on Earth in their devotion to working
with people who live with a disability:'
Burman said.
The Detroit Red Wings Alumni
Association, the oldest such organiza-
tion in the NHL, plays 30 games a year
to benefit worthy charities.
"Families love the event because they
are close to the players and can come
out on the ice to toss a puck to win Red
Wings tickets:' says Mike Ward, UCP
board member, development co-chair
and a player in this event. "They also
get to see sled hockey, a form of hockey
they may have never seen, played by
individuals with disabilities. It's inspir-
UCP of Metro Detroit board member
Gabriella Burman with her late
daughter, Michaels
ing for parents and kids alike:'
While the final game day roster
won't be solidified until the week
of the game, this year's Red Wings
Alumni roster includes fan favorites
like John Ogrodnick, Jimmy Carson,
Craig Wolanan, Lee Norwood, Dennis
Hextall, Brent Fedyk, Pat Peake and
Mickey Redmond.
Playing for the Pucksters are
three female players, Michelle
Harmala, Emilia Ward and Chelsea
Michalak, along with Mike Ward,
Joey Mannino Jr., Keith Starr, Pierre
Fuger, Tim Gorton, Nick Ostrowski,
Steve Howcroft, Frank Svincek, Mike
Harrison, Brett Miller, Joe Sattler and
Rick Ryan.
Skate Without Limits is open to the
public. Tickets cost $10 per person
or $25 for a family pack that gives
entrance to up to five people. Children
aged 5 and under are free. There is
an Afterglow Pizza Party for $10 per
person.
Doors open at 3:30 p.m. on March
30 at Viking Arena, 1555 E. Woodard
Heights in Hazel Park. Sled hockey
starts at 4 p.m., followed by Red Wings
Alumni vs. UCP Pucksters at 6 p.m.
There will also be a silent auction.
For more information, visit www
skatewithoutlimits.org or call (248)
557-5070 ext. 154.
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