Atlantic Youth Hockey League

by New Jersey Devils @NJDevils / newjerseydevils.com

The mission of The Kyle Palmieri Foundation is to give back to those who put their lives on the line to preserve our freedoms as Americans

Newark, NJ - New Jersey Devils right wing Kyle Palmieri and his fiancée Ashlee Casper have officially launched his new foundation, The Kyle Palmieri Foundation. The mission of The Kyle Palmieri Foundation is to give back to those who put their lives on the line to preserve our freedoms as Americans.

Kyle and Ashlee will continue their mission to show their sincerest appreciation for active and veteran service members and their families for their sacrifices they have made. The foundation plans to raise funds for various programs that benefit the military community.

"There are endless challenges facing our nation's military service members and veterans," said Palmieri. "We hope to help ease some of these challenges by providing support through The Kyle Palmieri Foundation and through our partnerships with NMFA, SWAN, and Pets for Vets. Each of these organizations provides invaluable support and services, and the Foundation looks to help expand their incredible work. We're proud to offer our help as a way to say thank you to the brave men and women who are serving and have served our country."

The issue is personal to Kyle, as he has several family ties to the military. Currently, his sister Taylor and brother-in-law Stephen are honorably serving our country in the National Guard and the U.S. Army. This close connection to the military inspired Kyle to do more to help those who sacrifice the most.

The foundation initially began as an idea with a military recognition program, run in conjunction with the New Jersey Devils, called Squad21 in 2016. The Kyle Palmieri Foundation has since evolved into a full-fledged charitable organization that supports three (3) military nonprofits. The foundation will also develop special events in the future that will raise funds to assist in the continued support of active and veteran service members. The original Squad21 program will still live within the foundation. Kyle kicked off his foundation's efforts this week by participating in the Morgan Hoffman Celebrity Pro-Am Charity Golf Outing this morning and on Wednesday, he will play in the Northern Trust Celebrity Pro-Am.

The Kyle Palmieri Foundation proudly supports the following organizations and programs:

•    Squad21 - Squad21 is a military recognition program that offers active and veteran service members the chance to attend a New Jersey Devils home game in Newark during the regular season. Playing upon Kyle's team number of 21, twenty-one people are randomly chosen from a military organization for each of the 21 designated Squad21 games and invited to bring a guest. As part of the program, the service members and their guests have an exclusive meet-and-greet with Kyle following each game. Fans can support and interact with the Squad21 program using #Squad21 on social media.

•    Service Women's Action Network (SWAN) - The Service Women's Action Network is the voice of all military women. SWAN is a member-driven community network advocating for the individual and collective needs of service women. They are committed to seeing that all service women receive the opportunities, protections, benefits and respect they deserve.

"For the last ten (10) years, SWAN has served as the leading, national organization advocating for the issues important to all military women and we're excited that the Kyle Palmieri Foundation will help us amplify their voices," said Lydia C. Watts, SWAN CEO. "With nearly 2.5 million women veterans and women who currently serve in our military - the highest number in U.S. history I'd like to add - it's vital that we draw attention to their individual and collective needs. We're thankful that the Foundation shares our goal of ensuring all service women have access to the tools and support they need during and after their service."

•    National Military Family Association (NMFA) -The National Military Family Association is the leading nonprofit organization committed to strengthening and protecting the families of the men and women currently serving, retired, wounded or fallen. NMFA provides families of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard, and Commissioned Corps of the USPHS and NOAA with information, works to get them the benefits they deserve, and offers programs that improve their lives.

"Kyle understands military families and the challenges they face because he is part of one," said NMFA Executive Director Joyce Raezar. "We at NMFA are grateful for Kyle and the Kyle Palmieri Foundation for shining a light on those who stand behind our service members and whose sacrifices often go unnoticed."

•    Pets for Vets - Pets for Vets was created to improve the lives of both Veterans and animals by bringing them together in a thoughtful, caring way. Their goal is to give back to the brave servicemen and women who have given everything to our country, while finding homes for deserving shelter pets.

"Pets for Vets is honored to be a beneficiary of the Kyle Palmieri Foundation and is very excited to be able to work with them to recognize and thank our military servicemen and women," said Ann Black, Pets for Vets Inc. President.