By Cliff White
Staff Writer
Mick Mansir, 11, has an ice rink in his backyard, and he wants you to come over and skate with him.
This Sunday, Mick is inviting friends and strangers alike for a day of skating to raise money for the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital, where his friend, 14-year-old Windham resident Logan Jordan, has undergone treatment for a life-threatening heart condition.
Mick’s second annual Backyard Skate will run from 1:30 to 8 p.m., and will feature Mansir and members of the University of Southern Maine (USM) Huskies mens’ hockey team teaching skating lessons and running hockey games for all who attend.
“It’s for all people – people who play hockey or people who just want to learn how to skate,” Mansir said. “It’s going to be cool to have people learn how to skate from the Huskies, and for me and the other hockey players to be able to play some games with them.”
Mansir’s father, Gary, has created a 44-foot-by-92-foot ice rink behind the family’s house along Mercier Way in Gorham, where the event will take place.
Last year, more than 50 people attended and Mick raised $1,439 for the  hospital. This year, due to the increasing recognition of the event in the community, he hopes to bring in more than $2,000.
Mansir said he was inspired to create the event after he accompanied his parents to the Channel 13 Children’s Miracle Network Telethon, where he met Jordan, who has hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a rare congenital heart defect in which the left side of the heart is severely underdeveloped.
According to Jordan’s family, Jordan’s condition is usually fatal within a baby’s first few days of life if undiagnosed, but doctors at the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital performed open-heart surgery when Jordan was 6 days old, saving his life. Jordan had another open-heart surgery when he was 6 months old, and another at age 3.
At age 8 he received a pacemaker, at 12 he had occluders, or devices used to close holes in the heart, implanted to increase oxygen in his blood. Yet despite restrictions on strenuous activities, he plays on his school’s baseball team and is team manager for the wrestling team and varsity football team manager.
Since 2005, Jordan has hosted a summer Wiffle Ball tournament to raise money for the hospital. Hearing about Jordan’s event, Mansir decided to host his own fundraiser. Having a love for hockey and the additional bonus of a skating rink built by his parents in his backyard, Mansir’s choice for an event was obvious, he said.
“I wanted to do something with my ice rink the way Logan had done something with his wiffle-ball tournament, so I asked my parents and they agreed to help me make it happen.  It was a lot of fun and raised a lot of money so I wanted to do it again this year,” Mansir said.
Mansir’s mother, Jill Mansir, was familiar with Meredith Bickford, an assistant athletic director at USM, who helped arrange for the Huskies to attend and help out at Mick’s skate last year.
This year, senior Tyler Ravlo, a goalie from the team, has been helping Mansir in collecting funds by driving him around the community and soliciting donations of cash or equipment from local businesses. Ravlo, 23, said Mick’s Backyard Skate has become an important event for his team and this year, the entire team was planning to participate.
“It’s really an amazing opportunity for us to become more involved in the community and raise money for a worthwhile cause,” Ravlo said. “If we can help raise even one extra dollar, that’s a victory for us.”
Ravlo said the event has helped to remind his teammates what kind of effect they can have on their adopted community.
“It’s a good team builder and it’s a good eye-opener for the guys on the team. As Division III athletes, we forget that we are still role models in the community,” Ravlo said. “No, we don’t get as much attention as the Black Bears or the Portland Pirates, but the kids in the stands who come to our games still look up to us, and ask for our autographs and get excited being around us.”
Ravlo said he was personally motivated to help out with Mansir’s event this year after a recent visit to the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital.
“It’s the most amazing facility,” Ravlo said. “It’s unfortunate that there are sick kids who have to be there, but if you are sick, it is a great spot to be.”
Ravlo said seeing an 11-year-old try to make a difference encouraged him to take on a larger role in helping out with this year’s event.
“It’s pretty unique for an 11-year-old to be doing something like this,” Ravlo said.
Mansir, for his part, hopes his efforts can have a wider effect than a day of fun and fundraising.
“I really like helping out the hospital because I know it does good things, Mansir said. “But it’s about more than the money we raise. Just like I got this idea from another kid, I want it to be like a cycle. I hope that this inspires other kids to do something similar.”
The second annual Mick’s Backyard Skate will include skating, a 50-50 raffle, a snack bar and a raffle for prizes donated by local merchants and sports teams, including the Portland Pirates. Huskies hockey players, as well as other USM athletes will be on hand throughout the day to assist with on-ice activities.
All are invited, including those who have no interest in skating.
 If you are unable to attend but would still like to make a donation, contributions may be sent to Mick Mansir at 40 Mercier Way, Gorham, 04038.
For more information, email mmansir13@hotmail.com or call 222-2341.