Breaking The Ice - Let's Talk Inclusion

10/27/2025

It's all about New England Village, Inc. on tomorrow night's episode of Breaking the Ice! Get the details in the post below.

How does New England Village, Inc. empower adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities?

Find out on the next episode of Breaking The Ice - Let's Talk Inclusion tomorrow night at 6:15 PM on 95.9 WATD FM. This episode will also be live-streamed on watd. com.

Joining host Jim Coughlin of Plymouth County Family Support, Inc. will be his guests from New England Village:

🌟 Christine Chagnon, President and CEO

🌟 Jonathan Grabowski, Vice President of Communications & Development

For more than 50 years, New England Village has been empowering adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities to realize their potential and pursue their dreams through innovative programs and community living. Dignity, respect, and choice are at the core of all New England Village services.

New England Village believes that people thrive when they make their own choices; people with disabilities are capable of, and have the right to, make their own decisions — where they live, work, and recreate. All their programs and offerings are tailored to meet the unique needs of each individual they support.

With multiple locations, modern facilities, and a specialized team of highly skilled and dedicated human service professionals, New England Village serves more than 150 individuals with IDD, including autism and Down syndrome, and sensory disabilities such as hearing and vision impairment.

Visit their website for more information: newenglandvillage.org

Breaking the Ice is sponsored by Plymouth County Family Support, South Shore Support Services, and New England Village.

The program airs every Tuesday at 6:15PM. Each week, our hosts will discuss topics that are important to our inclusive community and highlight the talents and achievements of our community members.

If you haven’t already, please follow our show page (tagged above) on Facebook which includes recordings of the episodes and more!

Breaking The Ice Lets Talk Inclusion

10/23/2025

Enter the Blizz's Halloween 50/50 Raffle and help a great cause! 🎃

🎃 Just one more week to enter our Halloween 50/50 Raffle — where treats come in the form of cold, hard cash!💰

Our 50/50 Raffle is back with a frightfully fun twist! Half the pot goes to one lucky winner, and the other half supports The Great Blizzards Special Hockey and our amazing players. It’s a win-win that’s all treats, no tricks! 🍬🏒

🎟️ Tickets: Start at just $10 for 3

✅ Must be 18+ and purchase tickets in Massachusetts

Imagine how much fun you could have with your share of the winnings… a weekend getaway, an early holiday surprise, or the ultimate Halloween splurge! 🕸️

🗓️ The drawing will be held on October 31st — don’t ghost this chance!

🎫 Get your tickets now: https://bit.ly/GBHalloweenRaffle25

10/22/2025

Check out this awesome article in The Vineyard Gazette about The Great Blizz's new Martha's Vineyard location!

The Island next month will officially become a new home to The Great Blizzards, an all-ages special needs ice hockey team with three other locations in Massachusetts.

10/21/2025

Join us for an inspiring episode about the challenges of raising a child with Cerebral Palsey.

What are the challenges of raising a child with Cerebral Palsy (CP)? Find out on the next episode of Breaking The Ice - Let's Talk Inclusion, tonight at 6:15 PM on 95.9 WATD FM.

Joining host Steve Nearman will be his guests, Neil Plotnick and his son Marty, who has CP. Marty is a Great Blizz player at our Winthrop location.

Marty has been a big hockey fan but never played until he joined The Blizz, and now he’s a hockey-playing fan. He just attended a recent Buffalo Sabres game…in Buffalo!

Neil and Marty will discuss the challenges of CP, emphasizing what Marty CAN do rather than limitations. Don’t miss this show which is sure to be inspiring.

Also joining us will be John Robertson, Great Blizz coach at our Cape Cod location, who will provide an update on last Sunday’s Open House for our new Martha’s Vineyard location.

Breaking the Ice is sponsored by Plymouth County Family Support, Inc., South Shore Support Services, and New England Village, Inc.

The program airs every Tuesday at 6:15PM. Each week, our hosts will discuss topics that are important to our inclusive community and highlight the talents and achievements of our community members.

If you haven’t already, please follow our show page (tagged above) on Facebook which includes recordings of the episodes and more!

Breaking The Ice Lets Talk Inclusion

10/17/2025

The Blizz is coming to Martha's Vineyard! Check out the Open House this Sunday from 10AM-Noon - details in their post!

Ice hockey for special needs players is coming to Martha’s Vineyard! 🏒

The Great Blizzards of Massachusetts is adding Martha’s Vineyard to its 3 established and successful locations of Kingston on the South Shore, South Dennis on Cape Cod, and Winthrop on the North Shore.

Ice time will be Sundays at 10:00 AM at starting November 16th through end of April at the YMCA Martha's Vineyard Ice Arena. The rink is located at 111R Edgartown Vineyard Haven Road in Vineyard Haven.

🌟 An Open House is scheduled for Sunday, October 19th from 10:00 AM-Noon to meet the team's management and coaches and to register for the 2025-2026 season. 🌟

The team welcomes players ages four through adulthood, all genders, all backgrounds. Coaching staff is welcome too, including high school and middle school skaters, some looking for community service hours.

CAN'T SKATE? No problem. Most of our roster of 85 players never skated before they met us.

CAN'T AFFORD expensive protective gear? No problem, again! We loan equipment from helmet to skates and everything in between.

If your player is not sure hockey is for them, we allow a three-practice trial, so it’s a great opportunity to try it out!

This isn’t just about hockey, it’s about giving kids and adults a chance to build confidence, form friendships, and know they belong — on and off the ice.

👉 For more information, email [email protected] or call 703-587-4321.

10/15/2025

Amazing article about The Blizz!

10/13/2025

There's a lot going on with The Great Blizz! Get the scoop on tomorrow night's episode! Details in the post below...

Find out the latest news on The Great Blizzards, including the new Martha’s Vineyard and North Shore locations, a recap on the Witches Brew Tournament at Bowdoin College, and more on the next episode of Breaking The Ice - Let's Talk Inclusion!

Joining host Steve Nearman are our guests:

Brooke Avakian – Chair of Island Autism, mother of two and wife of Derek Avakian

Derek Avakian – Vineyard Construction Services LLC, former youth hockey player and current youth hockey coach.

Jared Andrews – retired police officer and now Director of Student Affairs at Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School

JP Giuliotti – accomplished actor, former Coach with California Condors Special Hockey, and current coach of The Great Blizz on the North Shore.

Bill Wedge – The Great Blizz photographer, coach and Board clerk

Tune-in tomorrow, October 14th at 6:15PM on 95.9 WATD FM.

We’ll discuss with the organizing committee the rapid establishment of The Great Blizz’s fourth location – Martha’s Vineyard - which hits the ice on November 16th. We’ll also catch up on the progress of the one-month-old North Shore (Winthrop) location. Plus we’ll have a recap of the action on the Bowdoin College ice in Maine as The Great Blizz competed in the Witches Brew Tournament hosted by the Maine Highlanders.

Breaking the Ice is sponsored by Plymouth County Family Support, Inc., South Shore Support Services, and New England Village, Inc.

The program airs every Tuesday at 6:15PM. Each week, our hosts will discuss topics that are important to our inclusive community and highlight the talents and achievements of our community members.

If you haven’t already, please follow our show page (tagged above) on Facebook which includes recordings of the episodes and more!

Breaking The Ice Lets Talk Inclusion

10/10/2025

Enter the Halloween 50/50 Raffle and benefit The Great Blizz! 🎃👻

🎃 Who needs tricks when you could score a real treat? 👻

Enter our Halloween 50/50 Raffle — where treats come in the form of cold, hard cash!💰

Our 50/50 Raffle is back with a frightfully fun twist! Half the pot goes to one lucky winner, and the other half supports The Great Blizzards Special Hockey and our amazing players. It’s a win-win that’s all treats, no tricks! 🍬🏒

🎟️ Tickets: Start at just $10 for 3

✅ Must be 18+ and purchase tickets in Massachusetts

Imagine how much fun you could have with your share of the winnings… a weekend getaway, an early holiday surprise, or the ultimate Halloween splurge! 🕸️

🗓️ The drawing will be held on October 31st — don’t ghost this chance!

🎫 Get your tickets now: https://bit.ly/GBHalloweenRaffle25

10/07/2025

Tune in tonight to learn all about the amazing Mats 4 All program at the Daniel Gracie Academy in Hyannis!

Find out how the power of Jiu Jitsu can be transformative for children on the autism spectrum on tonight’s episode of Breaking The Ice - Let's Talk Inclusion at 6:15 PM on 95.9 WATD FM!

Joining host Holly Flanagan is Juliano Coutinho, founder of the Mats 4 All program at the Daniel Gracie Academy Hyannis

Jiu Jitsu combines movement, discipline and routine in a fun way, helping children on the spectrum develop focus, confidence and resilience.

At Mats 4 All, they believe in the transformative power of Jiu Jitsu, especially for children on the autism spectrum. Their mission is to provide a welcoming, supportive, and completely free environment where kids can discover their inner strength, enhance their focus, and build meaningful connections. This is more than just a Jiu Jitsu program; it’s a community dedicated to empowering every child, and is 100% free.

Breaking the Ice is sponsored by Plymouth County Family Support, Inc., South Shore Support Services, and New England Village, Inc.

The program airs every Tuesday at 6:15PM. Each week, our hosts will discuss topics that are important to our inclusive community and highlight the talents and achievements of our community members.

If you haven’t already, please follow our show page (tagged above) on Facebook which includes recordings of the episodes and more!

Breaking The Ice Lets Talk Inclusion

09/30/2025

The new Blizz website looks awesome! Check it out at thegreatblizz.org!

Our major redesign of The Great Blizz website is complete and we are LIVE !!!! 🎉

We are excited to show the world ALL the great things that The Great Blizz brings to its communities on the South and North Shores, Cape Cod and NOW Martha's Vineyard!

This is the site for all the updated information on practice days/times/places and tournaments and other special events. This is the site to read about our incredible players and their families and the wonderful humanitarians who come out every week and volunteer to coach and to guide this organization. 🙌

This is the site where we recognize all of our sponsors - and phew, there are a lot! Couldn't do it without your philanthropy. 🙏 And this is the site where we post news articles and videos and photos honoring our hard work.

We even gave Whiteout quite a bit of real estate on the site! 😀

Major appreciation and love to Shields SGF in Plymouth - Sally, Drew, Robert, Ali and others - and our marketing/PR extraordinaire Caroline Quinn of Quinnovative Marketing for their efforts. 🙏 This final product is a testament to your creativity, professionalism and talent.

Check out the site - if you pull up the old one, you will need to clear your browsing history. And tell us your thoughts - what did you like most, what did you like least, what should we add.

Okay okay - we first need to add MARTHA'S VINEYARD - top priority! 😄

www.thegreatblizz.org

09/29/2025

Exciting news from The Great Blizz!

THE WAIT IS OVER...AND THE NEW LOCATION IS...

MARTHA’S VINEYARD BECOMES THE FOURTH LOCATION OF
THE GREAT BLIZZARDS OF MASSACHUSETTS SPECIAL HOCKEY

VINEYARD HAVEN, MARTHA’S VINEYARD – SEPTEMBER 29 – The Great Blizzards of Massachusetts Special Hockey, a team for players who cannot play on any other team due to cognitive, intellectual, developmental and/or physical disabilities, announced today the opening of its fourth location here on Martha’s Vineyard.

The new location adds to the three current sites of The Great Blizz in Kingston (The Bog Arena), S Dennis (Tony Kent Arena) and Winthrop (Larsen Skating Rink at the Mike Eruzione Center). The program currently serves more than 85 players across the three
locations.

Weekly practices and games are slated for Sundays at 10am beginning November 16 and continuing through the end of April. The venue will be the Martha's Vineyard Ice Arena at the YMCA of Martha’s Vineyard in Vineyard Haven.

An Open House is scheduled for Sunday, October 19, from 10am to noon at the rink. It’s an opportunity to meet the team’s management and coaches, and to register for the 2025-2026 season.

A member of USA Hockey, The Great Blizz is comprised of players ages 4 through adulthood, all genders and all levels of experience or no experience.

“We were approached by a very enthusiastic group of organizers who wanted to bring ice hockey to the significant special needs community on the island,” said Steve Nearman, Founder and Executive Director of The Great Blizz and Board member of
Special Hockey International. “When we met with this group, our Board was so impressed with the passion and energy that we decided to bring our brand of special hockey to them and to the people of Martha’s Vineyard.”

Leading the organizing group are Brooke Avakian, Jen Woods and Jared Andrews, and many others.

“Martha’s Vineyard - where Inclusion meets the Ice,” said Avakian, chair of the board of Island Autism and mother of two, including a son with Autism Spectrum Disorder. “On the ice of Martha’s Vineyard, every ability shines and every player belongs.”

Woods has been a community staple for years, as a special education teacher at Martha’s Vineyard High School as well as coordinator of the school’s Voyager program. Voyager is a transition program for students from MVRHS who are 18-22 years old.

Andrews, a former Oak Bluffs police officer and Rhode Island state police detective and now Director of Student Affairs at the high school, is an experienced youth hockey coach. “Hockey is more than a game, it’s an experience that our special population
deserves to share joy in,” he stressed.

Opportunities for coaches and other volunteers of all ages are available. No coaching experience is required.

For inquiries, contact [email protected] or call 703-587-4321.

About The Great Blizzards of Massachusetts Special Hockey: The inclusive hockey program has four Massachusetts locations in Kingston, S. Dennis, Winthrop, and Vineyard Haven on Martha’s Vineyard, and serves more than 85 players who cannot play on any other team due to cognitive, intellectual, developmental and/or physical disabilities. The Great Blizz was founded in 2019 with the motto NO HOCKEY PLAYER LEFT BEHIND. For more information, go to www.thegreatblizz.org

About Special Hockey International: SHI is the Toronto-based international organization for special hockey clubs and teams. It is a non-governmental organization, which promotes ice hockey in an inclusive environment for athletes with a developmental disability and organizes an annual international tournament for its member clubs. For more information, go to www.specialhockeyinternational.org/

09/28/2025

We can't wait for this on-air roundtable featuring some of our favorite non-profits in the inclusive, special needs community! Tune in this Tuesday night at 6:15 PM!

What’s happening with some of the top non-profits in the inclusive, special needs community?

Find out on the next episode of Breaking The Ice - Let's Talk Inclusion, when we host a non—profit round table.

Joining host Jim Coughlin of Plymouth County Family Support, Inc. are his guests:

Mary Burt, Executive Director, South Shore Support Services

Liz Sandblom, Executive Director, The Arc of the South Shore

Dean Rizzo, Executive Director, The Arc of Greater Brockton

Tune in on Tuesday, Sept. 30th at 6:15PM on 95.9 WATD FM! This episode will also be live-streamed on watd. com

Breaking the Ice is sponsored by Plymouth County Family Support, Inc., South Shore Support Services, and New England Village, Inc.

The program airs every Tuesday at 6:15PM. Each week, our hosts will discuss topics that are important to our inclusive community and highlight the talents and achievements of our community members.

If you haven’t already, please follow our show page (tagged above) on Facebook which includes recordings of the episodes and more!

Breaking The Ice Lets Talk Inclusion