Every year, thousands of students say goodbye to their parents before they head off to college. This can be tough because now they don’t have anyone to do their laundry.

But imagine if these students could take their parents to college with them.

Cyclone Hockey is doing the next best thing. In the Home Away From Home program, players in Cyclone Hockey are matched up with volunteer families to help the players adjust to college life at Iowa State.

These volunteer families provide the players with the same comforts that their real family would. And sometimes, they even form lifetime bonds.  

“I think the [Cyclone Hockey players] like to have a connection with somebody in Ames,” said Sue Koelner, co-chairwoman of the program.  “I think they buy into the program and like to spend time with their families.”  

The program was started in the early 1980s because of the influx of players in Cyclone Hockey who weren’t from the Ames area. Now 20 to 25 families take part in the program annually and are placed with at least one player each year.

Once a family is assigned a player, they are together for the extent of the player’s college hockey career. However, the way these players are placed with the families depends on a few elements.

Koelner said she tries to put players and families together that have similar backgrounds. She also takes in account personalities to make sure she gets the best fit.

After she finds the right family for the right player, Koelner said the program provides players a place in Ames where they can call home.

ISU assistant coach Andrew Murdoch decided to be one of these homes after he experienced the benefits of the program when he was a player at Iowa State. Murdoch said he wanted to give back by opening his doors to the current Cyclones.  

“No hockey player is going say that they are home sick,” Murdoch said. “But it is always good to have someone there that can be like their extended family and can help them out. It is just nice to have that family feel. The idea that someone is there is nice to have.”

A positive side effect of the program is that many of the players end up being role models to the children in their Home Away From Home families.

Team captain Mark Huber said that he is seen as a big brother to the three kids in this Home Away From Home family. And as these kids’ adopted big brother, Huber said that he wants to teach them something about how to be successful at life.  

“The biggest thing I try to teach them is work ethic,” Huber said. “What are the odds that kids going to play pro sports? It’s not very good. But if they work hard in school, in life and at their job, they’re going to be successful.”

All the time the players and families spend together in the Home Away From Home program leads to strong bonds between them. Sue Randall, the other co-chairwoman of the program, said she is still in contact with 12 players for whom she was a Home Away From Home family.

Randall also said she even has been invited to players’ weddings. Even though some players are no longer in the program, she still helps them out when they are in a pinch.

“I have even had boys come over in an emergency to do their laundry,” Randall said.