In its tenth year, the Texas Stars Foundation donated more than $80,000 in cash donations and in-kind gifts to Central Texas charities. The Texas Stars players, Game Ops Crew, Ringo and staff made more than 100 community appearances, supporting educational programs, fundraising initiatives, and visiting hospital patients.
Several thousand tickets were donated to foster care and youth-serving organizations, community teachers, military families, wounded veterans and other local nonprofit organizations with a gate value totaling approximately $45,000. The Texas Stars Foundation made in-kind and monetary donations to more than 250 different organizations including schools, nonprofit organizations, and sports related programs.
Throughout the 2019-2020 season the Texas Stars players participated in the Foundation’s flagship program: Science of Hockey. Eighteen (18) schools and more than 2200 students participated in Science of Hockey presented by Raising Canes. The dynamic program includes an informational video about physics concepts in Hockey, a workbook, a classroom visit from two Texas Stars players, two tickets to a Stars home game, and a meal voucher for Raising Canes.
The Texas Stars Foundation held its largest fundraising event in October. The eighth annual Bowling with the Stars is a family oriented fundraiser where fans are assigned lanes with Texas Stars players. The evening raised approximately $15,000 for the Texas Stars Foundation.
Each season, the Texas Stars Foundation hosts several specialty jersey auctions. This year, the Foundation added three new auctions to the calendar. Auctions included a commemorative jersey for Travis Morin’s number retirement, a lavender themed Hockey Fights Cancer jersey, and a Texas Exes burnt orange jersey. The specialty jersey auctions raised more than $85,000 this season.
For the sixth year in a row, The Texas Stars Foundation teamed up with Cedar Park Regional Medical Center to host Pink in the Rink during for Breast Cancer Resource Center. The Texas Stars Foundation auctioned specialty jerseys off of the players’ backs and sold custom pink pucks to raise money for the cause. Pink in the Rink raised approximately $21,000 to benefit the Breast Cancer Resource Center and the Texas Stars Foundation.
For the third season, the Texas Stars Foundation hosted 5050 Raffles at every home game. During the third period of each home game a winning raffle number is randomly selected and the winner takes home one half of the jackpot of that night, while the other half is donated to the Foundation. 5050 Raffles raised more than $50,000 for the Texas Stars Foundation.
Smaller fundraisers included the annual food drive benefiting the Central Texas Food Bank. The eighth annual Teddy Bear Toss was held benefitting the Operation Blue Santa, and on Witches and Wizards Night, the Foundation held a book drive benefiting BookSpring, where fans had the opportunity to donate books for local public school libraries.
Ringo the Ringtail Cat continued to have a huge impact on the central Texas community. Ringo made more than 100 appearances to schools, hospitals, and special events this season.. Ringo has become a fan favorite and grown Ringo’s Kids Club to more than 150 members.
The Texas Stars Foundation is proud to support our local military men and women. Throughout the season, thanks to the generous support of Volvo Cars of Austin, an active soldier or veteran was honored at each home game during the hockey season. The Military Salute gave military personnel and their families a chance to enjoy a Texas Stars hockey game. In addition, during our Fall Military Appreciation weekend, more than 3,500 tickets were donated to military families in the Central Texas area. Special military jerseys were also auctioned off raising more than $20,000 for the Texas Stars Foundation.