Anthony Ford Foundation

Anthony Ford was nine (9) years old when he lost his courageous battle with cancer. Anthony was bright, outgoing and compassionate with a love for life. Throughout his 18 month battle, Anthony lived his life to the fullest, determined never to allow his disease to interfere with doing things that he loved. Anthony loved playing hockey and dreamed of one day playing in the NHL as the “Next Great One”. Prior to his passing, Anthony had the opportunity to meet his mentor and hero the original “Great One” Wayne Gretzky.

Anthony was befriended by the MSU Maverick hockey team and a banner bearing his name hangs in the Verizon Wireless Center to remind us of his courage, determination and dream of playing in the NHL.

In the spirit of Anthony’s dream of playing hockey, the Anthony Ford Committee was founded in 2007 by friends and family to establish a fund to help find a cure for childhood leukemia and help other young hockey players be the “Next Great One”.

The Anthony Ford Fund is committed to helping find a cure for childhood leukemia and to help young hockey players realize their own dreams. Our core purpose is to raise funds for pediatric cancer research and to help make hockey affordable for youth hockey players.

The Anthony Ford Committee raises money for the Anthony Ford Fund primarily through two events, the annual silent auction and the annual outdoor pond hockey classic (which has unfortunately been canceled this year due to Covid). Funds raised at these events provide research resources to the Therapeutic Advances in Childhood Leukemia.

The Anthony Ford Fund also provides resources for youth scholarships for disadvantaged kids through United Way's Connecting Kids program. We are also earmarking reserves for future hockey programs and equipment. Our long-term goal is to one day participate in building an ice arena for youth hockey in Anthony’s memory.

In the spirit of Anthony’s dream of one day becoming the next “Great One” the Anthony Ford Fund was created in 2007 by friends and family of Anthony Ford and has since donated more than $100,000 to Pediatric Cancer Research and United Way's Connecting Kids. AF99 is committed to providing affordable opportunities to grow the hockey culture in our area.

In January 2009, the pond hockey tradition began on Lake Washington about 10 miles outside Mankato, MN. The journey started by building rinks of snow and has since evolved into 12 new rinks with NiceRink boards. In 2016, our event moved to Spring Lake Park in beautiful lower North Mankato which has proven to be a wonderful setting for pond hockey. The new pond is near the city center of the Mankato/North Mankato area.