After 25 seasons of programming, HEROS players from programs’ early years are now in a completely new stage of their lives. Their careers, family lives, and lived experiences have grown with them over the years, and for many HEROS like Raylene, the core skills they learned through HEROS have helped shape their life journeys towards inspiring and unique stories of success.
In order to support all HEROS and SuperHEROS players, the first and most important step for each program is establishing a safe environment, where players can focus on playing with their teammates and take their minds off their day-to-day challenges for those few hours at the rink.
Growing up, Raylene understood this notion better than most.
“Our community dealt with a lot of struggles at times,” says Raylene. “For us, it was kind of normal. There were a lot of people who came to school without lunches, that were scared to go home at the end of the day.”
From a young age, she remembers her house constantly being that safe space for her friends, where her mom was able to provide a sense of safety and security for those experiencing hardships.
“Whether it was family violence, financial challenges, or if someone just needed a snack – my house was kind of the hub for people to come by if they needed,” explains Raylene.
In grade four, Raylene began her journey with HEROS Forest Lawn – a program made possible by the generosity of the Flames Foundation. Her elementary school principal sat her and some classmates down, speaking with them about how they could become hockey players.
Prior to joining HEROS, Raylene had never stepped foot on the ice, “Being from a rougher area of Calgary, we didn’t have the opportunity to do many team sports”, says Raylene. “Hockey was totally new. That was always, you know, a rich kids sport. We didn’t have skates or anything, and the first day of HEROS was the first time I ever got on the ice.”
For each HEROS program, recruitment looks a little different, largely depending on the unique needs of the community it serves. At HEROS Forest Lawn, it so happens that the principal at Raylene’s school was recruiting those young people who he knew needed this opportunity the most.
After meeting with her principal, Raylene and her friends were happy to be among one of the original groups of players in the HEROS Forest Lawn program, where they were able to experience so many firsts.
Between getting fitted for a full set of equipment – complete with some impressive hot pink gloves – and meeting new friends from other schools, Raylene and her friends have so many fond memories from their days at HEROS: Meeting Canadian icon, Hayley Wickenheiser, travelling to Edmonton with her teammates, skating with Flames players at the Saddledome, and even receiving a signed hockey stick from Lanny McDonald.
Raylene spent four seasons with HEROS, collecting these memories. But to her, the best thing about HEROS wasn’t meeting famous hockey players or being able to travel to new places, it was getting together with her friends after school, having a snack, and talking about their week.
“I think the coolest thing about the whole experience is that I’m still friends with so many people from my team – we still talk on a regular basis,” explains Raylene.
Through her time at HEROS, Raylene constantly found new ways to become a stronger teammate and leader, and developed a skillset that she says, has helped her throughout every stage of her life so far.
“I think overall, just the confidence in knowing that I can accomplish more than I am precedent to,” says Raylene. “HEROS taught me that I am actually able to do anything, and that’s helped quite a bit moving forward.”
Now, Raylene operates her own hair salon in Calgary, where she credits some of her success to those very same skills she learned all those years ago throughout her time with HEROS.
“The team and leadership aspects were so helpful. Now I have my own salon, with 9 or 10 staff members. Some of these people I’ve had with me since day one, in an industry where the turnover rate is insanely high – I think that really speaks to what HEROS taught me in terms of being on a team and creating an environment where everyone can be successful,” explains Raylene.
But outside of HEROS, Raylene faced criticism and negativity when pursuing her goals and dreams. She recalls many times hearing, “you won’t be able to do this”, because of where she grew up and the challenges she faced.
That’s why HEROS is so important for so many youth. At HEROS, young people like Raylene can foster life-skills and confidence so that they can achieve their unique vision of success – whatever it is that looks like. When players graduate HEROS programs, they know that there is no ceiling, and that they can accomplish anything if they put their mind to it.
For Raylene, the opportunities that have come from her hard work have been endless, taking her to fashion weeks in Paris and Milan, giving her the chance to teach at conferences, and allowing her to grow her salon from a small, one room shop with no windows, to a two-thousand square foot studio and a full team of stylists working with her.
As HEROS celebrates 25 years of programming, stories like Raylene’s are becoming more and more common as we hear from program alumni across Canada. They’ve grown up, gotten married, established wonderful careers, and for some, have also returned to coach, mentoring the next generation of HEROS players.
Thank you, Raylene, for providing a shining example of the endless possibilities that are out there for every HEROS player – past, present, and future.
