Hockey Fights Cancer Recap

This season's Hockey Fights Cancer (HFC) campaign presented by

Throughout the month, the Sharks hosted "I Fight For Fridays" as a way to virtually recognize various heroes including highlighting Community Captains; several of the pediatric oncology patients hosted during previous Hockey Fights Cancer Nights at SAP Center, including Tyler who dropped the puck in 2017 and Harvey who recently completed treatment!

Friday's were also an opportunity for fans to engage in the campaign online, posting pictures of themselves with "This is Hockey Fights Cancer Territory" signs or digital "I Fight For" cards with #SharksBiteCancer.
Sharks Territory participated in various fundraisers, raising critical donations for local cancer-related non-profits. Through the
SJ Team Shop
, customizable HFC t-shirts could be purchased with net proceeds benefiting Okizu, a youth camp for oncology patients and their siblings that unfortunately burned down during the recent wildfires. The Sharks Foundation also offered the opportunity for fans to see the name of a loved one affected by cancer in lights. For a $20 donation to Camp Okizu, the name was showcased on the SAP Center Marquee. Total funds raised for Okizu between the fundraising efforts came to $12,500! The Foundation also hosted a 48-hour Hockey Fights Cancer-themed mobile auction which raised $5,500 for
There With Care of the Bay Area
.

Additionally, the Sharks Foundation partnered with
Kids & Art Foundation
to launch an exclusive opportunity for youth they serve to design the 2020-21 season HFC
Mystery Pucks
presented by
SAP
. Ten designs were submitted and voted on, and the winning artwork will be transformed into pucks which will be autographed by Sharks players and sold this January. Partial net proceeds from the puck sales will go back to Kids & Art!

November also showcased impactful moments, including a leaguewide Twitter campaign where all NHL teams were asked to submit a video message for the "Face of the Fight" movement. For the Sharks participation, #31 Martin Jones sent words of encouragement to Kaiser Permanente patient Malachy, a 12-year-old who is undergoing treatment for Leukemia. Diagnosed in July, Malachy is a humorous, caring, and bright fan of all sports, but the first he ever played was roller hockey! Additionally,
Sharks Assistant General Manager Joe Will shared his heroic story of his cancer journey via this moving testimonial. 
In partnership with Kaiser Permanente, the Sharks Foundation provided a $10,000
Community Assist Grant
to
Jacob's Heart Children's Cancer Support Services
. The donation supported their Full Hearts Grocery program which delivers meals, fresh produce, nutritious food staples, grocery gift cards, cookbooks, and bi-cultural nutrition education every week to the homes or hospital rooms of families during treatment and for up to six months after treatment. The grant supported approximately 2,100 grocery bags, equating to $97,000 worth of food delivered to families facing cancer.

On November 5, members of Team Teal gathered at Jacob's Heart's Watsonville Family Center to pack bags that were scheduled for delivery that day. VIP guests S.J. Sharkie and Cole Rossi made one special delivery to the Ortiz family. Cole participated in the Sharks Hockey Fights Cancer Night presented by Kaiser Permanente during the 2017-18 season as one of the youth that joined the starting line-up to be recognized during a pre-game ceremony. Having benefited from the non-profit's services first-hand, Cole has become an advocate for Jacob's Heart and a steady volunteer for the Full Hearts program. Cole is currently studying communication at California State University Monterey and is 15 years cancer free.
Watch the Jacob's Heart recap video and learn more about Cole's journey here
.

Also in partnership with Kaiser Permanente, the Sharks Foundation extended a $10,000 grant to
Dec My Room
, a non-profit that transforms pediatric hospital rooms into warm and welcoming spaces. In tandem with the funds, the Foundation's
Young Professionals Board
assisted Dec My Room by spending the morning of November 15 shopping for bedding, décor and toys to reimagine kiddos' surroundings while receiving in-patient treatment.

On November 20, the Sharks hosted a virtual Hockey Fights Cancer game presented by Kaiser Permanente vs. the Las Vegas Golden Knights on Twitch. The game was called by Sharks radio broadcaster Dan Rusanowsky and nine of the players on the Sharks roster were replaced with avatars modeled after our Community Captains! As a bonus, all the Community Captains were introduced pre-game by a Kaiser medical professional who knows each of them personally.

Despite the challenges of COVID-19, the Sharks Foundation was able to donate a total of $38,000 to cancer-related non-profits and recognize a multitude of community members impacted by cancer during the 20-21 HFC campaign.