Seattle Kraken Dropped the Puck to Raise Awareness for Youth Experiencing Homelessness
YouthCare is honored to be the primary charitable partner for Seattle’s NHL team, the Seattle Kraken and the One Roof Foundation! On Wednesday, November 17, the Kraken faced off against the Chicago Blackhawks at Climate Pledge Arena in the first YouthCare Game Night to raise awareness of and support for our mission helping youth experiencing homelessness in our community.
In the afternoon, players arrived at Climate Pledge Arena for pre-game festivities, proudly wearing shirts emblazoned with YouthCare’s logo. The entire team came ready to be anchored in the community and celebrate our young people!
The success stories of youth experiencing homelessness are inspiring and power YouthCare’s mission and work. Haydn Fleury was so moved by tow of YouthCare’s young people, he prepared a special message and token of the Kraken’s admiration. During a break in the action in the first period, Haydn Fleury shared words of encouragement and admiration and the Kraken presented signed jerseys and hockey sticks to two incredible young people who are working towards stability at YouthCare. This powerful moment embodied the dedication the Seattle Kraken has to youth facing hardships, and the importance of making their stories visible.
In the second period, attendees had the honor of witnessing Stacia, a YouthCare Barista Training Program graduate, be honored with the Starbucks Community Star Award. Stacia was celebrated on stage for her dedication to excellence and over eight-year career with Starbucks, which she considers has been a crucial tool in her journey in achieving stability after her lived experience with homelessness.
Stacia will be participating in YouthCare’s Youth Alumni Committee, a group of people with lived experience in youth homelessness who are giving back to young people and providing feedback and direction for the organization’s programs and mission.
YouthCare was in the air all night long, from visitors checking out the information booth to learn more about how they can get involved to the animated YouthCare LED banner that wrapped around Climate Pledge Arena. This landmark evening showcased how much our community can accomplish when we stand together. At the end of the night, the Kraken announced that they had raised over $23,000 for YouthCare through their Anchor Auction just over the course of the game! We’re incredibly grateful for and touched to see our community rally around and celebrate our young people.
The Seattle Kraken is helping to transform our community, one young person, one player, one Kraken fan at a time! We are thrilled to make new friends and invite our vibrant community of hockey fans to learn more about our work ending youth homelessness in Seattle.
Learn more about YouthCare’s partnership with the Seattle Kraken and One Roof Foundation here.
Photos Courtesy of Seattle Kraken