Coyotes work with Down syndrome advocacy group to bring greeters to game nights

Longtime Coyotes fans attending Saturday night's game against the Seattle Kraken might see a new face or two greeting them at Gila River Arena.

There will be six new faces among those welcoming fans to the game, as the Coyotes have partnered with Angels For Higher, an organization that helps facilitate the hiring of individuals with Down syndrome to work as greeters at sports venues, college campuses and performing arts centers.

The Coyotes join 20 other sports teams, professional and college, and are the fourth NHL team to align with Orange County, Calif.-based Angels For Higher. The Anaheim Ducks, Chicago Blackhawks and Nashville Predators are also on board.

The Coyotes first learned about Angels For Higher from Patrick Murphy, the team's President of Business Operations, Strategy & Development. Murphy worked in school administrative roles in Southern California before joining the Coyotes and got connected with Angels For Higher through mutual friends of the organization's founders.

Murphy raved about the program to Coyotes President and CEO Xavier A. Gutierrez, both agreeing it would be a good fit given what the club has established as what it stands for: diversity, inclusion and offering opportunity to people from many different communities.

Talks picked up, and six locals were chosen to become greeters. Then the Coyotes hosted the founders of Angels For Higher and the greeters and their families at a game last month.

"They hired six greeters, which is more than we've had anywhere," said Robert Hendershot, CEO and President of Angels for Higher. "Nothing says there's more to a team than winning games and making money than having somebody with a recognizable disability welcoming people into the stadium.

"It's a win-win-win for everybody."

Hendershot was inspired by his own son Trevor's experience as a person with Down syndrome who was bullied as a youngster, but over time won over all of his schoolmates with his personality. Trevor, now part of the executive group of Angels For Higher, got a job with the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball working in their stadium team shop, then was hired by the Ducks and by 2018 had job with USC and the Los Angeles Rams.

Trevor, a fixture at Southern California sports venues for years who has become a friendly and familiar face to many fans, now helps with in-person presentations to show teams the kind of individual they will hire to be a greeter.

Angels For Higher acts as a liaison between local Down syndrome associations and sports teams, to help identify candidates for jobs.

"It's not a job for everyone. As you know there's a lot of obnoxious people sometimes, loud noises. It's not for the faint of heart. So part of our service is we meet virtually or in person with the parents and their son or daughter that wants this job," Hendershot said. "It's also a family job, too. The greeter has to be outgoing, cheerful and physically strong enough to stand. ... But parents have to be committed to get them there and serve as a job coach if it's needed."

The Coyotes have agreed to allow the greeters' parents to be nearby to help oversee things and make sure all is going well.

Gutierrez said the greeters will enhance the fan experience at Coyotes games for the rest of the season.

Three employees will be working with Levy, which provides concessions at games, two will be working in the team shop and one will be working throughout the building.

"I'm excited that we've created a culture where people understand this is what we want to be about," Gutierrez said. "I love the fact that it's just a given that we would be open to opportunities to open the doors to folks from all different walks of life, different communities ... and we've executed on some really incredible partnerships."

Ice chips

— Coyotes head coach André Tourigny said prior to Friday's game against the Anaheim Ducks that defenseman Cam Dineen and forward Ben McCartney were to make their NHL debuts as part of the lineup that night.

—Defenseman Kyle Capobianco is skating with the team, as are forwards Alex Galchenyuk, Nick Schmaltz and Ryan Dzingel, all who have been out with injuries. Capobianco is now day-to-day, Tourigny said.

Get in touch with Jose Romero at Jose.Romero@gannett.com. Find him on Twitter at @RomeroJoseM.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Coyotes reach out to Down syndrome community to enhance fan experience at games