Coyotes Wait Tables, Mingle with Fans at Annual Charity Event

SCOTTSDALE -Working for tips to give to the Arizona Coyotes Foundation, Coyotes players served up meals, drinks and smiles to corporate partners and fans on Tuesday night at the team's annual Celebrity Waiters Gale at Olive & Ivy.
"This event is our single largest fundraiser of the year," said Olivia Matos, the foundation's executive director. "The Celebrity Waiters Gala brings in a good portion of what we're able to give out in the following year's grants. So, we're super excited to have all of these donors here. We want people to have a great time, but essentially we want to raise as much money as possible to give back to the charities in Arizona. The better that we do tonight, the more we're able to give back out."

Matos said the goal was to raise as much as $200,000 via the tips earned by the players, the fee the attendees paid for their seats and the final tallies raised from silent and premium auctions staged during the event.
All of the players on the roster attended the event and worked tables or the bar.

"This is an event I really like doing," defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson said. "It's a lot of fun to be here and to get to know the fans a little bit and raise a lot of money for the cause."
Defenseman Jason Demers was one of several players taking part in this annual event for the first time.
"Helping out the community is always exciting for us," Demers said. "The guys enjoy it. It's a good time and we get to get away from the game a little bit, and we get to enjoy a little team bonding and a little bonding with our organization and our community."