Ducks Join Local Students from The Wooden Floor for Holiday Shopping Spree 

For 16-year old Beverly Mazon, it was more than just a trip to Target.

As a participant at The Wooden Floor, Mazon was one of 16 students from the Santa Ana-based nonprofit to join Ducks players last week as the club and players treated the group to a holiday shopping spree at Target in the Irvine Spectrum.

It was a shopping trip Mazon had dreamt of since she was a young girl, and it became a holiday experience of a lifetime.

“I’ve been wanting this opportunity since I was little, and now that I have this opportunity, I'm extremely thankful,” Mazon said.

Wearing their holiday sweaters, Ducks players Sam Carrick, Ross Johnston, Brett Leason, Isac Lundestrom, Brock McGinn, Urho Vaakanainen and Frank Vatrano, accompanied by their wives or significant others, were able to provide these deserving students with gifts for under the Christmas tree this holiday season. They were joined by staff members from the Ducks, Honda Center and ocV!BE as the kids filled their shopping carts with clothes, games and school supplies for themselves and their family members.

Paired with Carrick, Mazon picked out some leggings, shoes and other clothing items that were on her list. But the teen’s favorite part of the afternoon was the chance to chat with the Ducks center.

“I'm extremely thankful to talk to him and get to know him as a person,” Mazon said. “It means a lot to me.”

The feeling was mutual, as Carrick enjoyed meeting Mazon during this season of giving. “It's that time of year, and being in a position to give back, it's been awesome,” Carrick said. “It’s something that we love doing, and it's really fulfilling for us. It's just fun to get to hang out, and that's really why we're here. It's not so much about the shopping. It's more just getting to hang out and meet some people in the community and have some fun.”

Founded in 1983, The Wooden Floor is an arts-based youth development program that uses the power of dance to reach underserved students and their families in the Orange County community. Through afterschool programming designed for 3rd through 12th graders, The Wooden Floor utilizes dance education, college readiness programs and family support to annually serve 475 students at their two Santa Ana locations.

With a mission to “inspire and transform the lives of young people through the power of dance and access to higher education,” The Wooden Floor has impacted more than 95,000 students in its 40-year history, and since 2005, 100 percent of students who graduate from The Wooden Floor have completed high school on time and have immediately enrolled in college.

This is the 16th consecutive year the Ducks have partnered with The Wooden Floor for the annual holiday event, and the legacy the players leave with the students is far greater than the gifts they receive.

“Having a 16-year partnership with our organization is really a 16-year relationship and tradition, and it means so much to us to be working with the Anaheim Ducks and the Anaheim Ducks Foundation,” said Chief Executive Officer of The Wooden Floor, Dawn S. Reese, CFRE. “It's really a testament to the work we're doing together to move young people forward.”

For Mazon, who is a junior at Santa Ana High School, The Wooden Floor has provided a chance at a successful future, one that includes attending college and owning her own business.

“It’s shown me that it's more than just dance,” said Mazon, who joined The Wooden Floor in 2007. “It’s shown me responsibility, it has shown me time management. It’s shown me plenty of things, so I'm extremely thankful to be in this organization.”

In his first time attending the holiday event, Ducks forward Frank Vatrano shopped with 10-year old Armando Garcia and helped him pick out some new clothes he needed for school and church.

“It's been awesome helping them shop, and I like to shop, so it's been fun,” Vatrano said. “It's great that the Ducks have been doing this for a long time now, and it’s something that I always like to do, especially around the holidays. I see the smile on his face, and it’s great.”

Garcia, who aspires to be an architect, is grateful for the chance to be at The Wooden Floor and participate in experiences alongside professional athletes.

“I like dancing, having fun with the staff members and getting opportunities like this one,” said the sixth grader of his time at The Wooden Floor. “I’m having fun, and I’m excited because I get to go on a shopping spree with the Anaheim Ducks.”

It has been a year of celebration for The Wooden Floor as 2023 marked the organization’s 40th year of serving the youth of Orange County. A year-long calendar of events brought back several alumni who returned to share their inspiring stories of impact and transformation, fueled by experiences such as these.

“For us and our theory of change, part of our plan is to offer as many children as possible these new opportunities, and this is an example of it,” Reese said. “The players care, and they took time out of their day to spend time with the students. Being part of this event changes the way the students feel about themselves.”

Through The Wooden Floor’s dance education and support services programming, along with the commitment of community partners like the Anaheim Ducks, students like Mazon and Garcia can break the cycle of poverty and see a different future for themselves, one that instills confidence and hope.

“I just want to thank the Ducks players, the Anaheim Ducks organization and the Anaheim Ducks Foundation,” Reese said. “It’s inspiring for the students to see these incredible players because they’re emulating that passion for excellence, which we really attribute to our mission. And that connection that the children make with the players is really meaningful.”

For more information about The Wooden Floor, visit thewoodenfloor.com.