FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — There are many ways a group of people can "break the ice."
But for a group of children who came together for a day of curling at the Baptist Health IcePlex in Fort Lauderdale — the connection came quickly, not forged by a win, but by immeasurable loss.
WATCH BELOW: 'They've been in a very dark place where nobody understands them,' Patrick Powers tells WPTV
The all-expenses-paid experience was hosted by the Sailing Foundation of Florida and the Florida Panthers, and organized through Gold Star Sailing, a camp that brings together children from across the country who have lost a parent in military service, giving them a space to connect with others who share the same grief.
Patrick Powers, a retired Green Beret and U.S. Army colonel, founded Gold Star Sailing after experiencing loss of his own.
"Unfortunately, I lost some soldiers along the way," Powers said. "But the one that really affected me, really impacted me, was I lost a soldier in Iraq that had a young family, and I just wanted to give back somehow."
Now, about 20 or so kids from across the country come together for experiences like this one, focusing on learning a new sport in a place they don't have to explain their grief to anyone.
"They've been in a very dark place where nobody understands them, and then we bring them here, we show them joy and fun and laughter, and they don't have to feel guilty for having fun," Powers said
Among those on the ice was Cody Hawes, who lost his father in Afghanistan when he was just 3 years old.
"So, as a kid, you know, I didn't really know what was going on, and at one point, my father just stopped coming home," Hawes said.
For years, Hawes carried that loss, sharing it only with his sister — until he found Gold Star Sailing and met other kids who understood his heartbreak.
"We connected on a different level, and it was somebody I could really talk to about everything, get everything off my chest, really relate to," Hawes said.
Now a counselor with the program, Hawes helps the next generation of Gold Star kids find the same place to heal.
"Yeah, it's gonna make me a little emotional, probably, seeing how everybody's really having a great time, having fun, just being themselves, being able to be kids, you know," Hawes said.
As they curl on the ice, they laugh — they cheer— they fall down, and for a little while, they put down the weight they carry every day.
"I had one mom write me and say thank you for bringing my daughter's smile back, because I hadn't seen it in five years," Powers said.
Because for the children gathered Friday, the real victory isn't what happens on the ice. It's the connections formed off it.
"This one young lady she... she said I wouldn't want to spend my birthday with anybody else, because you truly are family, and nobody understands me the way you guys do," Powers said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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