#21 is the number Kayla was given by former assistant coach Kelly Nash and her UVM teammates when she joined the UVM Women’s Hockey team under Team Impact. She was given #21 because she now had 21 new friends. But as Team Impact comes to an end, it’s #21 on the Women’s Hockey Team that she will graduate with: a player that has a special place in her heart. #21 grew up in an extended hockey family. It was no surprise that she started skating at age 4 and was playing hockey a year later. Like most competitive hockey players, hours were spent at the rink, and weekends were meant for traveling to play games. The entire family always traveled together. Whether it was to support her on the ice or her sister in other athletic events, you always saw the family together. She was a selfless, kind leader. From the moment she stepped on UVM campus, she had a positive impact on students, teammates, and the community. Her involvement with the … [Read more...]

We are grateful to the many individuals and businesses that support Kayla’s Directory.  Whether they are partnering with us to offer programs, volunteering, or financially supporting us, our organization relies on their generosity.  We currently partner with several local organizations that provide skating, skiing, dance, swimming, art, running, and other community activities.  We have over 20 community volunteers that ensure our programs and participants are supported.   The volunteers are from local schools, universities, and the community at large.  Without the financial support of local businesses and individual donors, we would not be able to purchase adaptive equipment or offer programs and outings for children with special needs.  Kayla’s Directory is thankful to everyone that has supported our work. Thank you to the following organizations for partnering with us: Cochran’s Ski Area, Davis Studio, Echo Leahy Center, Flynn … [Read more...]

   I love that Kayla can be academically successful when her teachers incorporate her learning with hockey. My Hero by Kayla Kruk Who is the best hockey player ever? My hero’s name is Sydney Scobee .  She is a goalie on the Minnesota Gophers team.  I met her when she was at UVM on the women’s hockey team.  She was the goalie on the UVM team. Scobee is my hero because she is brave and kind. Scobee is my hero because she is brave.  Being a goalie and blocking goals takes a lot of bravery because other players are shooting the puck right at you.  You have protective equipment on but it is still scary. Brave people help people. Brave people do things even if they are scared.  Brave people do things even if other people might laugh at them or make fun of them. This shows why Scobee is brave. Another reason Scobee is my hero is because she is kind. Scobee is kind because she helped me make sure I was a part of … [Read more...]

With the UVM Women’s Hockey season opening this weekend, I thought it was appropriate to share some insight regarding the connections and friendships that have formed over the years. Whenever you go to a UVM Women’s Hockey game, you will see one spectator sitting in the same seat game after game.  You will see her at the rink an hour before the game begins, chatting with players before they get dressed, talking with the maintenance team, giving players high fives and riding the zamboni.  All this happens before the game even begins. This routine has been going on for over 6 years.  For the first two years, she was the only fan sitting in that section.  But during the third year, a family with two girls sat next to her. This was not the norm so Kayla was taken back.  In her world, it takes a lot of time to adjust to new situations and engage with new people.  For the first two years Kayla would have limited interaction with the … [Read more...]

I came across this piece of writing while going through Kayla's 4th grade school work.  I realized that she was studying Temple Grandin but never knew she had written a beautiful piece. "I read the book: The Girl Who Thought in Pictures: The Story of Dr. Temple Grandin.  It is about a girl named Temple Grandin.  She was a girl that had autism.  She didn’t talk until age three.  She likes cows and animals.  She liked science.  She had a teacher that helped her along the way.  When she was on a farm it was less stressful because she liked animals a lot and they calmed her.  When she grew up she was a big speaker, and helped people learn to go through challenges even if they were scared.  While I was reading this book I noticed that I have a lot in common with Temple Grandin. One thing that we have in common is we do not like crowded places and loud sounds because we don’t like a lot of people around we are sensitive to loud … [Read more...]