This season, Bryan Rust and Riley Sheahan have teamed up to buy four season tickets to benefit children and families through the Allegheny Family Network (AFN).
Their new
"Seats for Strength" program
was created in conjunction with AFN, whose mission is to "support and partner with families rearing children who have emotional and mental health needs in order to improve their quality of life."
But not only are Rust and Sheahan providing the seats - they're also bringing the families down after every home game for a meet and greet afterward. The group accompanies a staff member from the Penguins Foundation to the hallway outside the locker room, where they wait for Rust and Sheahan to come out. Oftentimes, they get to watch the players come down the runway and watch as they do the Three Stars ceremony and postgame interviews.
Rust, Sheahan and Murray making big impact with new charity initiatives
"For us, I think we just wanted to make it a full experience," Rust said. "All these kids either haven't been to games or haven't been to many. It's their first time experiencing it. So I think for us just to have that extra bit of coming out to meet us, take some pictures, have a couple laughs, sign some stuff - for Riley and I, it's something we really enjoy doing. They come down with big smiles on their faces and they're all excited, and even after losing a game, I think that helps Riley and I cheer up a little bit and move past it."
Following Tuesday's 3-2 overtime loss to Vancouver, Rust and Sheahan came out to meet with Sydney Gilliam, her 11-year-old son Nate and her 9-year-old daughter Noelle. The kids couldn't wait to tell the boys how much big of fans they are, with Nate informing them he had lost his voice from cheering.
"Did you have fun?" Rust asked the kids. When they responded in the affirmative, Rust smiled. "That's what we like to hear."
Amanda Susko, director of foundation programs for the Penguins Foundation, has been coordinating the post-game meet and greets. She said it's been incredible to see how touched the families are by the entire experience.
"You can already see the impact of this program," Susko said. "The children are just thrilled to be their special guests at the game and the parents are so thankful. It's incredible for Bryan and Riley to make this impact on such an important cause."
As Rust and Sheahan were meeting with the Gilliam family, Matt Murray was getting ready to head over to the seats that are part of Suite 66, where 50 kids and staff members from The Ward Home were waiting to meet him as part of his
"Saves MATTer" initiative
- which benefits selected charities in both Pittsburgh and his hometown of Thunder Bay, Ontario.
As part of "Saves MATTer," $15 from each save will go to the Ward Home and $15 will be split among two charities in Thunder Bay - Children's Aid Services and Dilico.
"We were very excited and very grateful as well," said Bill Wolfe, executive director of The Ward Home, about working with Murray. "We try to make our kids' lives as normal as possible, and funding like this allows us is what allows us to do special things with the kids.
"We get funding from the county to provide a safe place for them to live, food and clothes. But all of the special stuff - taking them bowling, taking them horseback riding, helping them with their educational leads, buying backpacks - all of those things come from money that we raise and donations like Matt's making for us."
Wolfe said that he hoped Murray was prepared for the reception he would get, joking that he was going to get bombarded for signatures and selfies. "I hope he knows what he's in for when he comes out," Ward said with a smile.
Wolfe was right - Murray got an incredible reception from the lively group, who were all holding signs with his name and number. They informed him that they were disappointed they didn't get to see him play, but were thrilled he came out to meet them afterward.
He spent about 15 minutes with the group, making sure he met with everyone while posing for pictures and selfies and signing autographs. Afterward, Murray couldn't stop smiling.
"That was a blast," Murray said. "They're a fun group, obviously. They welcomed me right away and I felt like part of their group as soon as I walked out there. I want to thank them for that, for welcoming me. It's really heartwarming, actually, the way they treated me. So that was really fun. It's important for me to make a connection. That's what we're really trying to do here. The money is great and everything, but I think the most important thing is just making a connection."
And Wolfe couldn't be more appreciative that Murray made the effort to spend time with the kids.
"This kind of thing makes a big difference in the kids' lives," Wolfe said. "These are things they could never get. It normalizes them. It makes them like every other kid even though they've grown up in foster care. That's why it's so special to these guys."
