Throughout the 2018-19 season, the Bruins Captain has been heavily involved in the team's charitable efforts as well as his own. In addition to participating in annual initiatives such as the pie delivery and PJ drive, he brought many new ideas to the table and was constantly brainstorming ways to build upon existing initiatives. He also used his social media platform and influence to promote the organization's charitable efforts as well as his personal initiatives.
This past November, Chara spearheaded the team's annual Thanksgiving pie delivery. In addition to purchasing $2,000 worth of pies for Boston area shelters, Chara came up with the idea to involve fans by creating an online donation link where donations could be made to purchase more pies. The online campaign raised over $3,500.
Around the holidays, in addition to participating in the team's annual toy shopping and delivery to local hospitals, Chara teamed up with Mayor of Boston Martin J. Walsh to donate 3,333 socks to seven shelters in the Boston area.
Chara also teamed up with New Balance to facilitate a shoe drive for those in need in Boston and Slovakia. Chara personally purchased and donated $7,500 worth of New Balance product. The donations went to Soles4Souls, Donation drop boxes were set up at New Balance stores, Warrior Ice Arena, and the Bruins held an in-game shoe drive on Saturday, March 9 at TD Garden. Over 2,000 pairs of shoes were collected and donated.
For the fourth year in a row, Chara spearheaded the Bruins 12th Annual PJ Drive to benefit Massachusetts's children in need. This year's drive collected a total of 21,000 pairs of PJs, which is the highest number of PJs the drive has ever collected. PJ collections were held across the state, and the Bruins held an in-game collection on February 9.
The three finalists for the 2018-19 King Clancy Memorial Trophy will be announced on Tuesday, April 23, and the winner will be revealed at the 2019 NHL Awards™ presented by Bridgestone on Wednesday, June 19 at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. The first-place finisher will receive a $40,000 donation from the National Hockey League Foundation to benefit a charity or charities of the winner's choice and the two runners-up will each receive a $5,000 donation from the National Hockey League Foundation to benefit a charity or charities of their choice.
