Community Report
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Community Report 2015.16 COMMUNITY REPORT | 2015.16 A LETTER FROM THE PITTSBURGH PENGUINS CEO & PRESIDENT The Pittsburgh Penguins are more than a hockey team. We are proud members of our community – from our players and coaches to our executives and office staff – and we believe we have a responsibility to use the unique platform of professional sports to make a deep and lasting impact on our city and our region. It goes far beyond the $6.1 million that the Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation contributed to charitable and community causes during the 2015-16 season (athough we are very proud of that!). It involves such wide-ranging efforts as delivering tablets to local schools through our signature Tablets in Education program; providing free baseline concussion testing to young athletes since 2011 through the HEADS UP initiative; building 12 dek hockey rinks in the Pittsburgh region; awarding annual scholarships to deserving high school seniors; and holding unique charity events such as the Aces & Ice Casino Night and the ROOT Sports Charity Night. Our players contribute in so many ways – many in private, out of the spotlight – but some of their more public ventures include visiting Children’s Hospital each season and personally delivering tickets to the homes and businesses of our season ticket holders. Co-owners Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle have instilled a long-lasting commitment to community outreach and fan interaction through all levels of the Penguins organization. We are proud to serve the citizens of the Pittsburgh region – and especially the young people who are building such a strong foundation for a very bright future. David Morehouse • 2 COMMUNITY REPORT | 2015.16 THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS David Morehouse Tommy Johnson CEO/President VP, Government & PR Pittsburgh Penguins CONSOL Energy Dave Soltesz Dave Klasnick President Executive VP Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation PNC Wealth Management Travis Williams Fran Muracca COO/General Counsel Partner Pittsburgh Penguins Jones Day Kevin Hart Dan Onorato VP of Finance/Controller Executive Vice President, Highmark Health Pittsburgh Penguins Highmark Christine Astorino Deborah Rice-Johnson Consultant President of Highmark Health Plan Highmark Dr. Charles Burke Physician Joseph Schmidt UPMC Consultant Lindsay Berdell Bock Max Wetzel Executive Director of Marketing VP Global Strategic Marketing & GM Trib Total Media USCA Home Centers PPG Industries, Inc. Nicholas Deluliis President & Chief Executive Officer Angela Wheland CONSOL Energy VP, Communications FedEx Ground Veronique Fleury Pittsburgh Penguins Kristin Wells Partner Rose Gabbianelli Reed Smith Retired EVP/Corporate Affairs Consultant BNY Mellon Trish Hooper CEO Sewickley Valley YMCA • 3 COMMUNITY REPORT | 2015.16 THE MISSION OF THE PENGUINS FOUNDATION To actively promote physical well-being, encourage teamwork, stress the value of education, and provide essential life skills to young people in our community through youth hockey and other activities. THE STORY OF THE PENGUINS FOUNDATION The year 2010 proved to be a year of transition for the Pittsburgh Penguins organization. The team’s longtime home moved from Mellon Arena to a new state-of-the-art arena. That same year, the Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation was created, enveloping all of the organization’s charitable efforts under one umbrella. Ironically, the demolition of Mellon Arena spawned the funding to establish a base for the Foundation’s work. Its first initiative was to create ornaments forged from the arena’s roof. In each of the next five years, the Foundation grew substantially. Focused on our region’s youth, the Foundation has embraced a vast array of programs that emphasize education, physical fitness and the well-being of our area’s children and their families. With strong leadership provided by Penguins ownership, the Foundation strives to continue its mission of serving the people of Pittsburgh through new and innovative programs. • 4 COMMUNITY REPORT | 2015.16 Community Outreach • 5 COMMUNITY REPORT | 2015.16 COMMUNITY OUTREACH GAME DAY FUNDRAISING 50/50 RAFFLE The Penguins Foundation donated more than $1.1 million to local charities during the 2015.16 season from funds raised through the 50/50 Raffle on gamedays. Over 100 local 501c3 charities were awarded grants that ranged from $5,000 to $15,000 allowing them to continue their valuable work in the community. Over the past four seasons, more than $2.9 million has been awarded to local charities through the Penguins Foundation’s grant process using funds generated from the 50/50 Raffle. AUCTION Through five seasons, the Penguins Foundation Auction on gamedays has raised over $900,000 to support a variety of Penguins Foundation programs. During each Penguins home game, the auction display, located behind Section 104, provides fans a unique opportunity to bid on fantastic team memorabilia. Starting with the 2015.16 season, the Auction was available via a mobile platform allowing fans to bid both inside and out of the rink at bidpal.net/pens. • 6 COMMUNITY REPORT | 2015.16 COMMUNITY OUTREACH MILITARY SUPPORT TRIB TOTAL MEDIA HOMETOWN HERO Throughout the 2015.16 season, the Penguins and Trib Total Media teamed up to recognize members of the military. Hometown Heroes were honored on the carpet prior to the National Anthem with a formal welcome by the announcer and a roar from the sold out Penguins crowd saluting Hometown Heroes for their service. VETERANS AT PRACTICE On November 11, 2015, the Penguins honored select U.S. military veterans during the team’s annual Veterans Day tradition. Each veteran received a personalized jersey, lunch in Suite 66 and a meet-and-greet with Penguins players. In addition, each veteran enjoyed the Penguins practice that day for memories to last a lifetime. CAMOUFLAGE JERSEY AUCTION The team wore special camouflage jerseys during warm-ups on November 11, 2015. The jerseys were autographed and auctioned online to raise money for the Wounded Warrior Project and the Mario Lemieux Foundation’s Austin’s Military Playroom Project. The auction raised $10,000 to support the two charities. MILITARY IN-GAME WELCOMES Military members were acknowledged during each Penguins home game with a welcome displayed on the videoboard and an accompanying public address announcement to thank them for their tremendous service. MILITARY ZAMBONI RIDES PRESENTED BY ATI Each gameday during the 2015.16 season, the Penguins and ATI provided military veterans with the unique experience to ride one of the Penguins Zambonis during pre-game or between periods. The veterans also received complimentary game tickets courtesy of ATI. • 7 COMMUNITY OUTREACH COMMUNITY REPORT | 2015.16 HOLIDAY CHEER CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL VISIT Since the early 1980s, members of the Pittsburgh Penguins, along with team mascot Iceburgh, don their Santa hats and spread cheer to children spending the holidays in Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC. Players take time to visit with children and their families and pass out gifts for the patients. This year, the players presented each patient with a plush penguin or a Kindle Fire tablet. They also signed autographs and posed for pictures. This annual visit has continued to be a treasured tradition that brings joy to countless children who are too sick to make it home for the holiday season. THANKSGIVING TURKEY DISTRIBUTION In partnership with the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, the Penguins organization has annually helped make Thanksgiving a special holiday for 100 underprivileged families in Pittsburgh’s Hill District. Since 2007, American-born Penguins players have visited a Pittsburgh community center to distribute turkeys and all the fixings for a bountiful Thanksgiving meal. During the 2015.16 season, the annual distribution occurred on November 16, 2015 with Phil Kessel, Ian Cole, Matt Cullen, Nick Bonino and Jeff Zatkoff delivering the Thanksgiving feast. • 8 COMMUNITY REPORT | 2015.16 COMMUNITY OUTREACH HOLIDAY CHEER PROJECT BUNDLE-UP SHOPPING DAY Every season, the Penguins team up with the Salvation Army for the Project Bundle- Up Shopping Day. This season’s event took place on November 12, 2015 following team practice. The Penguins players spent the afternoon shopping with young children in need of outerwear for the cold winter months. The children also collected autographs and posed for photos before returning to school. Penguins corporate partners DICK’S Sporting Goods and FOX’S Pizza assisted the Penguins to support this annual event. OPERATION SHOEBOX The Operation Shoebox program was designed to brighten the holidays for seniors residing in assisted living facilities who would not typically receive visits or gifts over the holidays. Penguins staff members from all departments donated beautifully wrapped Christmas gifts contained in shoeboxes. Ten days before Christmas, over 50 shoebox gifts were delivered to the residents of Manor Care in McMurray, PA. TOYS FOR TOTS Each December, the Penguins team up with the US Marine Corps to host a Toys for Tots collection. Over the past eleven years, more than 18,200 toys and $81,200 have been collected to support underprivileged children in our community. This season, the Penguins also partnered with 96.1 KISS Radio’s popular Stuff-A-Bus program to draw more attention and support for children in need during the holidays. • 9 COMMUNITY OUTREACH COMMUNITY REPORT | 2015.16 PLAYERS GIVE BACK CHILDREN’S PRACTICE & PARTY Each year, children from the Make-A- Wish Foundation, the Children’s Institute of Pittsburgh and the Children’s Home of Pittsburgh and Lemieux Family Center, enjoy time with their favorite Penguins after practice. These special guests took in practice at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex and then enjoyed a pizza party with the entire team afterwards. Players mingled with the families as they signed autographs, posed for photos and shared laughs with the team’s littlest fans. CROSBY & MALKIN CHARITY SUITES Since 2008, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin have each purchased a luxury suite at CONSOL Energy Center for local youth to enjoy the excitement of Penguins hockey.