UPDATE: Out of an abundance of caution, the Make-A-Wish Foundation has postponed indefinitely Saturday's scheduled event.
By Megan Wehring
KYLE — The city of Kyle is partnering with Make-A-Wish Central and South Texas to make a young boy’s wish come true by building a hockey pavilion for the community. A ribbon cutting will be held at Gregg-Clarke Park on Saturday at 11 a.m.
Ash Crane, 12, has a congenital heart defect called hypoplastic left heart syndrome. All he wished for was a public, concrete roller hockey rink “so he can share his love of hockey with everyone and create a space where kids of all ages can skate and enjoy the great sport together,” his mother, Lisa Crane, said.
Ash’s wish came true through a four-year project funded by the city of Kyle, Make-A-Wish and several donations from the community.
"This pavilion was a collective outpour of care — from Make-A-Wish to all the amazing individuals and businesses in our city that came together to make Ash's dream come true — it's just been an incredible thing to witness," Kyle Mayor Travis Mitchell said. "We're truly thankful to Ash for sharing his love of hockey with the community."
The ribbon cutting will include a 30-minute hockey exhibition game with Chaparral Ice. The in-person event is invitation only, in response to COVID-19, while the city of Kyle will live stream on their Facebook page for the public. In-person attendees will be required to wear a mask and maintain proper social distancing.
“Through all of this, he has remained one of the happiest kids I have ever seen,” Crane said. “Ash’s hope is to share his love of hockey with the community with the development of a multi-use hockey pavilion in Kyle.”
