Red Wings Executive Vice President and General Manager Ken Holland, who is also serving as the Honorary Co-Chairman of the 2018 Red Kettle Campaign for the 13th straight year, and Head Coach Jeff Blashill raised $6,246 to earn the victory in the annual bell ringing competition.
The Red Wings' grand total of $14,556 raised via bell ringing and text message donations during the two-hour span increased the total to nearly $165,000 raised for The Salvation Army since 2005. The funds raised from the Red Wings bell ringing will support the Salvation Army's STRIVE (Student Training for Integrity, Vitality and Education) youth floor hockey program. Introduced in 2009, the program teaches the basics of the sport of hockey, team building skills and positive sportsmanship behavior to children ages 8-12.
The annual duo of Justin Abdelkader and Darren Helm located at Hockeytown Authentics in Troy raised $3,618 to take second place in the competition. Red Wings defenseman Dennis Cholowski and forward Michael Rasmussen took third place ringing at the Kroger in Dearborn, while defensemen Mike Green and Luke Witkowski rounded out the competition ringing alongside STRIVE floor hockey players at the Kroger in Royal Oak. The two teams combined for more than $4,500 raised for The Salvation Army.
The average red kettle collects $200 in donations each day. The donations collected by the four teams in just two hours would equal 72 days of bell ringing.
About The Salvation Army:
Founded by William and Catherine Booth in London, England in 1865, The Salvation Army is a faith-based, non-profit organization dedicated to serving people in need without discrimination. This past year, The Salvation Army of Metro Detroit was involved in providing 2,577,524 meals and 622,610 nights of shelter for the homeless. The Salvation Army uses $.87 of every dollar raised to provide direct services to people in need each and every day of the year. For more information about The Salvation Army, please call 877-SAL-MICH, or visit us at
www.salmich.org
.
About Hockeytown Cares:
Hockeytown Cares serves as the Detroit Red Wings' official platform to create positive change across Michigan. In partnership with fans, key stakeholders and colleagues, the team leverages the power of hockey to provide innovative support focused on community investment and youth development. As part of Hockeytown Cares, the Detroit Red Wings Foundation continues to raise funds and resources in support of the growth of hockey within our community. To learn more about Hockeytown Cares, visit
www.DetroitRedWings.com/Community
.
