Quinnipiac Men's Ice Hockey Head Coach Rand Pecknold To Speak At The Exchange Club Of Easton's Annual Dinner

Quinnipiac men's ice hockey head coach Rand Pecknold will be the guest of honor at the annual Exchange Club of Easton Dinner, held at Roberto's Restaurant in Monroe, Conn., on Monday, May 18 at 7:30 p.m. The Exchange Club of Easton is a charitable organization that raises money to benefit victims of child abuse and other initiatives involving the care of children.

Pecknold will speak on his role as the head coach of one of the top NCAA Division I men's ice hockey programs in the nation as well as the important role of athletics in college and youth sports. This past year, Pecknold coordinated the "Blades & Shaves" fund raiser for St. Baldrick's, an organization that raises money for children's cancer research. Pecknold and his entire staff, as well as the entire Quinnipiac men's ice hockey team shaved their heads at a ceremony following the annual Blue & Gold Scrimmage at the TD Banknorth Sports Center in Hamden, Conn. Pecknold, his staff and the team helped to raise close to $30,000 for the cause.

In addition to the "Blades & Shaves" event, Pecknold also helped organize the annual "Teddy Bear Toss", an event held annually when Yale University visits the Bobcats' home ice. Those in attendance are encouraged to bring a stuffed animal to throw on the ice. After the stuffed toys are collected, members of the men's ice hockey team hand out the teddy bears at Yale New Haven's Children's Hopital. In the past, the men's ice hockey team has also visited several elementary schools in the community to read to children.

The Exchange Club of Easton has been in existence for over 50 years. A national organization with over 800 clubs and 25,000 members, Exchange Clubs sponsor a wide variety of activities primarily focused around the Exchange Program of Service, which includes Child Abuse Prevention, community service, youth and Americanism. Improving communities, helping the disadvantaged and encouraging good American citizenship is what Exchange is all about. Collectively, Exchange Clubs donate millions of dollars and countless hours of volunteer service to better their communities each year.