The Mason Foundation Summer 2018 Fundraiser

The development of The Mason Foundation is deeply rooted in the Westerville Warcats High School hockey club team. In 1998, hockey was primarily known in Ohio because of The Chill. There were a few house teams and even fewer travel teams that played at Chiller Easton and at the Fairgrounds downtown. That was the year the Warcats program was founded. While the inaugural league did not include Bryce Jesse Mason as a player because he was a senior the year before, he played with or against most of the teams. His parents, Bryan and Cheryl Mason, were also very active in the hockey community—acting Board members, Coaching, helping other young men or just driving A LOT. B.J. just loved to play—as a Blue Jackets midget player when the Warcats were formed, B.J. was well known for hard work, character and sportsmanship. Tragically, we lost B.J. in a car accident on Oct. 24, 1998 and in his memory The Mason award was established in association with the Warcats program. In March of 1999, goalie Issac Fuller was the first award recipient, who later went on to be a Warcats coach. Every year since, it has been given to a varsity player that portrays the same tenacity and love for the game that B.J. exemplified. In March of 2013, the Mason family was deeply honored when the Warcats Board of Trustees decided to retire his jersey number 11 to continue the honor of his memory. It is in this spirit that The Mason Foundation was founded. On B.J.’s birthday, September 16, in 2013 we were officially established as an individual organization. In November 2014, with the generous donation of a vehicle,we had the funding needed to establish The Mason Foundation as a non-profit organization. It is our mission to financially assist and encourage youth development through athletics, extra-curricular activities and education. As we grow and develop as an organization, it is our hope that our Westerville Warcats hockey roots will continue to be an integral part of the legacy as we expand into other opportunities. Our hope is to pass on B.J.’s spirit of team work, dedication and sportsmanship to future generations.