Capitals Host Courage Caps Skating Party

The Washington Capitals and Monumental Sports & Entertainment Foundation hosted nearly 150 surviving military children and adult loved ones who have found healing through the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) for an event at Kettler Capitals Iceplex on Feb. 10.

TAPS families were treated to lunch as they watched the Caps practice. Following lunch, they skated with American players John Carlson, Taylor Chorney, Matt Niskanen, Brooks Orpik and T.J. Oshie along with Slapshot and Red Rockers Courtney and Maika for an hour.

The event kicked off the 2017-18 Courage Caps campaign sponsored by Telos Corporation. Courage Caps are team-issued branded hats and T-shirts that will go on sale beginning Tuesday, Feb. 20, when the Capitals host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Military Appreciation Night.

For the seventh-consecutive season, TAPS is the beneficiary of Courage Caps. TAPS is a nonprofit organization that provides comfort and care for anyone who is grieving the death of someone who died while serving in the military. TAPS will receive 100% of the proceeds raised through the sale of Courage Caps.

Funds raised will help TAPS provide peer-based emotional support, regional seminars for adults, good grief camps for children, casework assistance, grief and trauma resources and a 24/7 resource and information helpline for bereaved military families.

Courage Caps and T-shirts will be sold starting at $20 online at WashCaps.com, at the Washington Capitals Team Store at Kettler Capitals Iceplex and at the Team Store and at merchandise stands throughout Capital One Arena during Capitals home games. There will also be a limited number of autographed Courage Caps available for sale at the Team Store and the stand at section 107 at Capital One arena during Capitals home games and online at WashCaps.com.

For $50 fans can purchase a Courage Cap signed by Nicklas Backstrom, John Carlson, Braden Holtby, T.J. Oshie, Alex Ovechkin or Tom Wilson; for $40 fans can purchase a Courage Cap signed by any other individual player. Capitals Fans will be able to order hats signed by any rostered player online.

Since the program launched during the 2007-08 season, the Courage campaign has raised nearly $925,000 for charity through the sale of 25,778 Courage hats in ten years and 13,693 Courage T-shirts in eight years.

The Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) is the national organization providing compassionate care for the families of America's fallen military heroes and has offered support to more than 75,000 surviving family members of our fallen military and their caregivers since 1994. TAPS provides peer-based emotional support, grief and trauma resources, grief seminars and retreats for adults, Good Grief Camps for children, case work assistance, connections to community-based care, online and in-person support groups and a 24/7 resource and information helpline for all who have been affected by a death in the Armed Forces. Services are provided free of charge. For more information go to
www.taps.org
or call the toll-free TAPS resource and information helpline at 1.800.959.TAPS (8277).

Telos Corporation empowers and protects the world's most security-conscious enterprises with solutions and services for continuous security assurance of individuals, systems, and information. Telos offerings include cyber security solutions and services for IT risk management and information security; secure mobility to protect globally connected enterprises; and identity management to establish trust in personnel and continuously monitor for insider threats. The company serves military, intelligence and civilian agencies of the federal government, allied nations, and commercial organizations around the world. For more information, visit
www.telos.com
.