Will Bruce, a senior ice hockey student-athlete at Williams, was named as the 2008 Hockey Humanitarian Award winner.

The Hockey Humanitarian Award Foundation announced Bruce as the 13^th recipient of the award presented by BNY Mellon Wealth Management. The honor recognizes college hockey players who give back to their communities in the true humanitarian spirit. Bruce received the award at the NCAA Men’s Frozen Four in Denver earlier this month.

A four-year letter-winner for the Ephs, the history and economics major has amassed nearly 1,200 hours of community service. During his junior year, Bruce designed and taught a financial education curriculum for low-income adults. In addition, he organized a group of volunteers, including five Williams hockey student-athletes, that provided free financial education and tax return filing assistance for low-income individuals. The effort generated approximately $100,000 in tax refunds. 

Two years ago, Bruce and a teammate took over organizing the “Best Buddies” program, which matches mentally and physically handicapped individuals with Williams ‘buddies’ to encourage social inclusion. Bruce also created the “Read for Fun” outreach to encourage reading among local youth hockey players. As part of the program, each player who read a book and wrote a book report earned an opportunity to serve as a stick boy or girl at a Williams home game.

In addition, Bruce established an initiative that will begin after he graduates. Called the ‘Lehman Council Buddies,’ the one-on-one mentoring program will be modeled after the Best Buddies program currently in place and will involve the Ephs’ basketball and baseball teams.

In his native Nashville, Bruce also tutored low-income adults studying for the GED and volunteered 20 hours a week at a domestic violence shelter.

“It’s a great honor to receive this award, but to me it recognizes more than an individual. This award recognizes the importance of teamwork. I’ve never had a teammate or another Williams team turn down a request to participate in a community service project,” said Bruce. “The Hockey Humanitarian Award reflects the contribution that sports in general, and athletes in particular, can have in the community, making a positive impact on the lives of others.”

Bruce also was recognized in January by Athletes for a Better World as the recipient of the John Wooden Citizenship Cup as the most outstanding role model in college athletes who has made the greatest difference in the lives of others. Named for legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden, the award honors one amateur and one professional athlete annually.

Bruce has earned a two-year fellowship at the University of Oxford in England, where he will study philosophy of comparative social policy.