Landeskog Hosts Uncork for a Cause Charity Event

Just ahead of the start of the 2022-23 regular season, Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog hosted his own charity event, Uncork for a Cause on Oct. 9 at the Brown Palace Hotel in downtown Denver.

The signature wine event aimed to benefit Together for Change, which is a non-profit "near to his heart" as Landeskog explained and is one that he has worked with for nearly the entirety of his NHL career.
The evening featured a celebration of great food, wine - with selections from Napa Valley and Sonoma wineries including Amici Cellars, Clif Family Winery & Farm, Rio Crest Winery, Russian River Vineyards and more - friends, teammates and the act of uniting to benefit a rewarding cause. Proceeds a the event benefited Together for Change (dba Friends Colorado) which is dedicated to the prevention of bullying. Scattered around the perimeter of the room were items as part of the event's silent auction, including signed Avalanche jerseys, sticks and helmets, a signed Eric Church guitar and more.
Growing up in Stockholm, Sweden, Landeskog was first introduced to what is known there as Friends: United Against Bullying when he was in middle school and it carried over into high school.

"Friends was a part of the school education," Landeskog explained at his charity event. "In every class there would be two friends of the class that were selected so that if somebody wasn't being treated right, or somebody was being bullied or didn't feel like they had somebody to talk to, they could always go to these two friends. I had the privilege of being voted to being one of the friends in my class. Flashforward 10 years and all of a sudden, I was playing in the NHL. I had a platform and I felt like I could make a change."
Following a discussion with family members and his agent, Landeskog worked to bring Friends to North America. With help from the organization and Marie Forsberg, the current President at Together for Change (Friends Colorado), they were able to create Together for Change and deploy it in Colorado.
Per the website, Friends Colorado (FC) vision is for all children to grow up in a safe, kind, and inclusive environment. FC provides awareness and knowledge about bullying and bullying prevention through speaking engagements and providing Friends' education and tools to schools, youth sports clubs and other organizations.
So, Landeskog's Uncork for a Cause served as a celebration and another way to create awareness and raise funds to support Together for Change.
The evening began with wine tastings paired with a variety of appetizers. Those in attendance even featured some of Landeskog's current Avalanche teammates like Nathan MacKinnon, Devon Toews, J.T. Compher, Andrew Cogliano, Alex Newhook and Kurtis MacDermid as well as members from the team's coaching staff and management.
Landeskog and Forsberg both shared a speech on stage to thank everyone in attendance and reiterate their messages of the importance of the nonprofit. Landeskog also announced that the event would tie in as the inaugural event also for he and his wife, Melissa's, Landeskog Family Foundation.

After sharing a few words, Landeskog took some photos with attendees. The event then auctioned off two six-liter bottles of wine - one was autographed by the entirety of the Colorado Avalanche's roster heading into the 2021-22 season, while the other was signed by the entirety of the eventual 2022 Stanley Cup winning team. Both of which sold for over $12,000 each.
As the night began to wound down, Landeskog also sold $50 bottles of wine to benefit Together for Change and sat at a table autographing those that were purchased.
The evening was a special event to celebrate and further support the efforts Together for Change achieves in working to create a society without bullying and a great way to back Landeskog's personal involvement and initiative.
"It's an important conversation to have," Landeskog said. "I think it's on us as adults to be responsible to have that conversation. We should feel pride in having that dialogue. Being at home used to be my safe space. You'd go home, get away from school, get away from all of the mean people. But nowadays with social media, there's no safe space. I think it's even more important today than it's ever been."
For more information on Friends Colorado please visit:
https://friendscolorado.org/