Every year, a couple of the crazed hockey fans in my social circle get involved with charity through the sport.
Instead of being typical sports dopes (you know, you’ve seen them during EVERY commercial break in the NFL season competing on FanDuel and DraftKings), we make our wager mean a little more. The stakes are pretty simple. When our teams play head to head, we agree on an amount. The loser’s team pays that amount in the form of a donation to the winner’s charity of choice.
Sounds pretty simple, right? It is. None of us are dead broke. We’re going to watch the game and cheer on our favorite team and its players, and we’re going to do a little bit of good in the process. It’s not rocket science, but neither is growing a beard to raise money for your favorite hockey team during the playoffs. (and yeah, we do that, too.)
Hockey Charities
Tonight, the Tampa Bay Lightning are playing the Philadelphia Flyers. Here are the charities and their fan representatives:
The Vincent Lecavalier Foundation – (Team: Tampa Bay Lightning, fan: @Nick_Kelly)
The Vinny Lecavalier Foundation was formed to stimulate the positive development of youth and families in the Tampa Bay, Philadelphia, & Rimouski,Quebec communities through charitable outreach projects.
In October 2007, Vinny announced a $3 million commitment to build The Vincent Lecavalier Pediatric Cancer and Blood Disorders Center at All Children’s Hospital. Now open, the Center will be one of the largest pediatric cancer centers in the state of Florida and houses 28 individual patient rooms with accommodations for parents to stay overnight with their child.
While the Cancer Center is the cornerstone of foundation programs, Vinny continues to support and positively impact the lives of children and families throughout Tampa Bay, Philadelphia, & Rimouski,Quebec communities.
The Lighthouse Shelter (Annapolis, MD) – (Team: Philadelphia Flyers, fan: @Jlulu1016)
Our mission is to help rebuild lives with compassion by providing shelter and services to prevent 
homelessness and empower people as they transition toward employment, housing and self-sufficiency.
Our vision is to serve as a national model for how a community cares for its homeless. We strive to break the cycle of homelessness by providing a place of belonging, life-changing programs, and a broad continuum of support to people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.
The Ronald McDonald House Charities – (Team: Philadelphia Flyers, fan @db_c00p3r)
Our Mission
The mission of Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) is to create, find and support programs that directly improve the health and wellbeing of children. Guiding us in our mission are our core values:
- Focusing on the critical needs of children.
- Celebrating the diversity of our people and programs
- Valuing our heritage.
- Operating with accountability and transparency.
Our Vision
We believe when you change a child’s life, you change a family’s, which can change a community and, ultimately, the world.
As pioneers of providing family-centered care, RMHC strives to be part of the solution in improving the lives of children and their families, providing programs that strengthen families during difficult times.
In 2014, we launched the three-year “RMHC Impact Strategy,” with a goal to serve one million more children and their families per year. This strategy not only builds on our success over the last 40 years, but also gives us the foundation to be stronger and more efficient than ever.
In order to do this, we are focusing on three strategic priorities:
- Expanding our reach by both creating and growing existing programs – including Ronald McDonald Houses and Ronald McDonald Family Rooms
- Strengthening our global network through staff development and education, and ensuring the financial sustainability of RMHC and its Chapters around the world
- Mobilizing support to increase the understanding of RMHC programs; thereby allowing us to support more children and families around the world
You can root along with us for either of these teams, or feel free to give to any of these great causes. No matter who wins, we’re doing this for all the right reasons.
One Love,
nK
(PS: Go Bolts!)