Growing to Meet the Need: From Hockey to Health Care
Warrior For Life Fund began with a simple idea: bring veterans and service members together on the ice.
What began as a hockey-centered community has become a broader response to the needs veterans, service members and families continue to bring forward. Each stage of Warrior For Life Fund’s growth has followed the same pattern: listen to the community, identify the gap and build the support needed to meet it.
Hockey created camaraderie, connection and a familiar team environment. Over time, however, those relationships revealed a greater need. The people coming together to skate were also navigating injuries, transition, isolation and the long-term physical and neurological effects of military service.
“Having that camaraderie is what a lot of these guys are searching for, and this community that Ryan has created here is amazing,” said a Naval Special Warfare veteran.
That need helped drive the creation of the Warrior For Life Fund Human Performance Center (HPC), a place where service members, veterans and their families could continue building strength, recovering and remaining connected beyond the rink.
“The facility is the place where people can go to congregate. They can go to work out. They can go to sit and contemplate,” said a Naval Special Warfare veteran. “Expansion was needed within the gym and therapy center because the need is so high, and on days that we’re running Synapse, our facility is full.”
As the HPC grew, another need became clear: access to coordinated clinical care. That evolution led to the Synapse Integrated Therapy Center (SITC), bringing physical therapy, speech-language pathology and mental health services together within the same community-centered environment.
For many participants, the goal extends beyond athletic performance or a better score in the gym. It is about reducing symptoms associated with multiple brain injuries and blast exposures, improving function and helping participants return to the activities, responsibilities and relationships that matter in everyday life.
One Synapse participant shared: “Everyone at Synapse was amazing and truly wants to help you improve in any way possible. The care was incredibly personalized and left me feeling very confident to pursue my new goals with reduced TBI symptoms and ongoing support if needed.”
The impact can also be seen in confidence, relationships and quality of life.
“When I see one of our service members or one of our veterans walking around looking more confident, shoulders held high, smile on their face, feeling like their relationships are improving, I think that is the biggest gain that we could possibly make,” said a SITC clinician.
Today, Warrior For Life Fund is again growing to meet the need.
With the support of generous benefactors and the persistent presence of monthly donors, WFLF is expanding into two additional spaces adjoining the existing facility. Construction is transforming those spaces into modern areas for rehabilitation and care, including expanded performance space, dedicated clinical areas, private rooms and ADA-compliant bathrooms and showers.
The growth also points toward a broader future.
“Ideally, we’ll be able to do this on both coasts and maybe throughout the country with some satellite locations because the feedback that we’re getting has just been incredible,” said Ryan Croley, WFLF Executive Director.
Hockey remains part of Warrior For Life Fund’s foundation. It brought people together. Listening to that community showed WFLF where it needed to go next.
What started on the ice continues to grow wherever the need leads.
