Flyers Charities and Michael’s Way to team up to renovate the home of a local teen with cancer
Northeast Philly’s Ethan Ruiz, 19, will be the 10th recipient of the Building Hope for Kids initiative.
When Ethan Ruiz was diagnosed with leukemia in 2024, he decided to tackle it rationally, just like he tackled the monsters under his bed.
“Why would a monster want to jump me specifically, right?” Ruiz joked. “That never really went away. Even as things got scarier and bigger, I was able to rationalize that I’m going to be able to get through things.”
Ruiz is this year’s recipient of the Flyers’ Building Hope for Kids grant, which will renovate his family’s home in Northeast Philadelphia in an attempt to “create a more comfortable, accessible, and uplifting space as he continues treatment.” But the 19-year-old isn’t the type to ask for help, his mother said, which is part of why Blair Listino and Flyers Charities were drawn to the family for this year’s grant.
“Building Hope for Kids is one of the most meaningful programs we’re part of each season,” said Listino, the chair of Flyers Charities and an alternate governor of the Flyers, in a news release. “It’s about more than transforming a home. It’s about surrounding families with care, comfort, and love during some of life’s hardest moments. The Ruiz family’s strength and positivity are inspiring, and we can’t wait to see their faces when they walk into their new home this March.”
“Partnering with Flyers Charities is amazing. Everyone jumps in with such enthusiasm and dedication,” added Chris McElwee, founder of Michael’s Way and president of Fastrack Construction. “It’s a huge team effort from start to finish. We all share the same goal: to create a peaceful, supportive space for Ethan throughout his fight and during his recovery. This project is, without question, a labor of love.”
Ruiz is still living in his childhood bedroom, so one major piece of the renovation will be taking the family’s basement and turning it into a new, much larger bedroom for him to stay in while he attends the Community College of Philadelphia.
“I’ve lived in the exact same room that I’ve always lived in since I was a little baby, the smallest room in the house, and I’m going from there to the biggest room in the house,” Ruiz said. “As my interests and I have grown up, I feel like I’ve gotten too big for it. The main thing is just taking all my interests and being able to have a space for me to actually output that into something that I feel like is representative of me now, instead of me as a kid.”
Having their home renovated will help Ruiz and his mother, Yomayra Carrer, focus fully on his treatment and care, instead of saving up for what repairs might be needed on their house at any given time.
The Flyers announced this year’s recipient of the Building Hope for Kids initiative on Tuesday as part of a fashion show. The show featured children receiving treatment for cancer who are beneficiaries of Michael’s Way, modeling outfits they chose themselves from the Flyers’ store, and some of their own favorites.
The group included three former Building Hope for Kids recipients, and the wives and girlfriends of Flyers players, coaches, and staff, many of whom take the lead in decorating the home for the initiative each year.
“We have a great turnout,” Alex Sanheim said. “Everyone’s always willing to help. All the new ones, I feel like the first thing when you come in, we all discuss this project, and no one really understands the hype of it until you’re a part of it. Once you are, it’s truly magical, and everyone looks forward to it every year.”
Flyers Charities increased its financial contribution to the initiative to $100,000 in 2025 because of the increased cost of building materials and the success of the previous home renovations.
The Ruiz family is the 10th beneficiary of the Building Hope for Kids initiative, which returned last year for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic. The finished renovation will be unveiled in March.
“This means the world to my family and me. I don’t think I fully believed this blessing was real until people showed up at my door,” Ruiz in the news release. “It’s incredibly reassuring to know I’ll have a home tailored to our needs. Everything I’ve needed has been provided, and having no loose ends or added worries has been such a relief.”