As Zachary Tannenbaum was looking through his closet and seeing dozens of warm-up suits that he no longer used, an idea came upon the Jericho High School junior. He decided to start a fundraising effort collecting and contributing gently used warm-ups and jerseys to those less fortunate.

Tannenbaum, an ice hockey goalie for the Long Island Gulls, knows how important these efforts could be to a team. He has been playing hockey for the New York Bobcats and Long Island Gulls associations for seven years and is currently playing for the Midget Minor American team. He has been to many different tournaments from the Rinx for New York State Championships to Sweden for an international tournament.

"I contacted Fred Schoenhut, president of the Long Island Gulls, Bobcats and Apple Core Associations and told him about my idea," said Tannenbaum. "Mr. Schoenhut told me about the Ice Hockey In Harlem youth program sponsored by the New York Rangers and run by Suzanne Sherman of the NHL. I contacted Ms. Sherman who was also excited by the idea."

Ice Hockey In Harlem (IHIH) began in the winter of 1987 with 40 eager participants ranging in age from 9-12. All participants agreed to attend weekly classroom sessions and skate one night a week. In class these IHIH pioneers were taught math, reading, and geography using hockey cities and statistics as teaching tools.

Now in its 18th year, Ice Hockey In Harlem has become a widely recognized and highly respected name throughout the hockey community. It has also served as the model for numerous successful programs throughout the country.

Ice Hockey In Harlem, for nearly two decades now, has helped thousands of needy youngsters learn a sport that would otherwise be financially unavailable to them. More importantly, through its educational and community service components, IHIH has given its participants the tools to succeed in their schools and as solid citizens in their communities.

"I have been playing winter and spring for seven years - 14 warm ups from me alone. If my teammates have their old warm-ups too, collectively we have more than 200 warm-ups that have barely been worn," said Tannenbaum. "With at least 20 teams in the organization, the Gulls have potentially 4,000 almost new warm-up suits that may never be worn again. I thought of other less fortunate teams where players have no warm-ups at all. What a great opportunity to connect with other less fortunate teams and players by collecting and contributing our gently used warm-ups and jerseys."

Anyone interested is encouraged to donate clean and gently used fleeces, warm-up suits and jerseys before Nov. 30. The drop-off locations are Iceworks, located at 175 Underhill Blvd. in Syosset; Iceland located at 3345 Hillside Avenue, New Hyde Park and Newbridge Arena, 2600 Newbridge Road in Bellmore.

"Please support this worthwhile cause by bringing your old warm-ups and fleeces to the pro shops to benefit those less fortunate," said Schoenhut.