Garnet Hathaway Continues Doing His Part

In April, Caps forward Garnet Hathaway teamed up with SuperFd to set up a fund to help raise money for first responders in our community through his community program, Hath's Heroes. And with the generosity of Capitals fans, over $16,000 has been raised to date.

And since Hathaway isn't able to be there physically to help distribute the meals, he still wanted to feel included in the process and thought doing virtual calls with those receiving meals would be a great way to stay involved.
He dropped in on the Arlington County Sheriff's Department on FaceTime and most recently did a Zoom call with the Arlington County Fire Department.
"Supporting the first responders in the way that Hathaway is - gives them so much comfort knowing the community has their back" said Travis Eagleson, Director of Business Development at SuperFd.
And even though it is just a quick chat with Garnet, the calls brighten the first responders' day as they get to take virtual selfies and share stories with him.

"For Garnet to not only provide these meals but also provide his time to personally thank the first responders shows the type of commitment to community that Garnet has," said Eagleson. "And while we are moving forward in an uncertain direction, those that are putting themselves at risk appreciate so much the knowledge that guys like Garnet are there to support them so we can all eventually resume normal life and get hockey back into action."
Hathaway has not only been doing his part to help first responders but has been extra appreciative of others in the community doing their part, including a 12-year old Caps fan named Alex who started making masks for nurses and first responders with the help of his mother, Suzi.
After reading
an article
about the work they were doing, Hathaway wanted to find a way to surprise and thank them. As Alex and Suzi joined a Zoom call with Capitals radio play-by-play voice John Walton that they thought was just going to be for a piece about how Caps fans are giving back to the community, Garnet joined the call - and as you can see from Alex's face in the photo below, a surprise it was.

"We didn't suspect anything taking the call from John Walton," Suzi said.
On the call Garnet invited them to come out to a game once hockey returns and offered to give them a tour of the locker room afterwards, similar to what he does with his Hath's Heroes experience.
Afterwards, Suzi said that Alex was yelling 'I just talked to Garnet Hathaway!! He knows who I am!' all around the house.
"Alex is over the moon after his experience talking to Garnet. What an amazing way to lift the spirits of a 12-year-old hockey-crazed boy over a long quarantine," she said.
The response to and impact of what they're doing was something they never imagined and because of their work being showcased, they have had people reach out asking how they could help - wanting to join their efforts.

"We realize that alone we may not put a dent in the problem, but we can inspire other people to use their skills and resources to help those in need," Suzi said.
"The zoom calls have been the next best thing to seeing these people in person and thanking them," said Hathaway. "From our first responders on the frontlines to Alex and his mother making masks, the video chats have allowed us to tell them how much their hard work and commitment have meant to our community."