If there’s one thing that the late Frankie Stillman would have wanted, his friends and family said this week, it would have been that no child was ever turned away from the hockey rink because they couldn’t afford to be there.
And in the spirit of one of Charlestown’s most fun fellows, and a guy who was a mentor to many of the young people at the rink where he worked for many years, a group of friends and family known as Frankie’s Friends donated $37,051 to the Charlestown Youth Hockey Association (CYHA) on Monday night in his memory.
“He loved this place,” said Pam McGrath. “Frankie would have been proud of this, and hopefully, it will help kids who can’t afford to play. Hockey is expensive between equipment and fees, and there are some single-mothers and single-fathers and families who can’t afford it. No one should be turned away. And that’s what Frankie would want.”
Melissa Doherty said the money comes from a fundraiser last September held in Stillman’s honor at the Knights of Columbus, a first-time effort for Frankie’s Friends that netted more than $37,000. It far exceeded their goals, she said.
“Our goal was around $20,000 and the fact that we raised so much more than our goal is amazing,” she said. “People were very generous…Frankie didn’t have kids, but he loved to help the kids, and he always made sure they were taken care of. When they couldn’t afford to sharpen their skates or get a piece of equipment, he always took care of them. While we are Frankie’s Friends, this money goes to those kids, who were also Frankie’s Friends.”