Canucks For Kids hosted a group of 20 Surrey School students at Rogers Arena – a big deal for the girls who’ve only been playing hockey for three weeks.

As they took the ice, there were slips and falls, some were a little wobbly, but there’s a lot of camaraderie in the group, encouraging each other to keep going.

Hockey 4 Youth, in partnership with the Canucks For Kids Fund and with the help of the Surrey City School Board and Surrey RCMP, is assisting girls in the Surrey School District who are newcomers to Canada get involved in hockey and flourish in their new country.

Founder of Hockey 4 Youth, Moezine Hasham, is the son of immigrant parents from Uganda and the youngest of four kids. Hasham was born in Vancouver and started playing hockey at six years old, given his first set of equipment by their neighbour. Being able to participate in the sport helped him feel included and accepted amongst his peers. The game’s done a lot for him and it’s always been his goal to give back to the community where he grew up.

“It's full circle. It's all about being able to give back and we couldn't have done it without the Canucks for Kids Fund, we couldn’t have done it without Rob [Rai, Surrey School District] and this is one of six programs that we're going to start in the province,” Hasham said, mentioning the launch of their next program in Vernon.

[READ THE FULL STORY VIA NHL.COM]