Hockey and style can go hand in hand, or head in hat as the Blue Jackets learned Thursday night.
At the annual Columbus Blue Jackets The CannonBall fundraiser, the theme highlighted blues, jazz and the outfits that go along with them. As such, Erik Gudbranson became a bit of an MVA – Most Valuable Accessorizer – not only wearing a stylish hat of his own but also providing captain Boone Jenner with his own chapeau.
“I’m a hat guy,” Gudbranson said. “I have a few of these things.”
While Gudbranson was happy to look the part, he also understood the night at KEMBA Live! was about much more than just style. What is billed as the biggest party of the year is also the Blue Jackets Foundation’s biggest fundraiser, this year bringing in more than $400,000 to allow the foundation to make a difference in its pillars of pediatric cancer, health and safety, education and youth hockey.
“These are necessary events, and we should take a lot of pride in doing them and hosting,” Gudbranson said. “This is a beautiful venue, lots of fun. We enjoy the conversations, the camaraderie, that comes out of it, but at the end of the day, we’re raising some money for a great cause.”
In fact, this year, the generosity of the community has allowed the foundation to pour $1.3 million into the Columbus and Central Ohio communities through its grant cycle, extending its outlay to more than $14 million since its inception in the year 2000.
The work of the Blue Jackets Foundation reaches far, from removing barriers for youngsters to play the game of hockey to building playgrounds around Central Ohio to its partnerships that bring sunny days to those battling pediatric cancer.
“When I was initially preparing my remarks for tonight, I had a slew of numbers and data points I was going to share with you,” Andee Cochren, executive director of the CBJ Foundation, said during remarks at The CannonBall. “But the numbers don’t tell all the personal stories. Our impact at the foundation is greater than numbers on a sheet. We create smiles, we create hope, we help support and we provide opportunity.”
The night’s program also celebrated a $250,000 grant investment in Ruling Our eXperiences, which provides research-backed resources and programs to help girls use their voice and embrace their confidence. As part of the CBJ Foundation grant, more than 1,500 students will be impacted through an evidence-based 20-week Social Emotional Learning curriculum that helps female students achieve success.