The Golden Knights were the first professional sports team to come to Las Vegas, and for the past eight years, the city has wholeheartedly supported the team. Las Vegas has invested its heart and soul into the Golden Knights, and with the Holiday Knights of Giving initiative in December, both the team and the Vegas Golden Knights Foundation gave back to the community that has done so much for them.
“It means so much. Our community cheers for us on the ice, and the guys are just as excited to be out in the community,” said Kim Frank, VGK Foundation President and Chief Community Officer & Player Programming.
The VGK Foundation and the team dedicated three weeks to community activations, which included distributing care kits for the homeless and visiting hospitals. They provided gift cards at Smith's to help individuals pay for groceries and distributed gift cards at La Bonita with LosVGK. Additionally, a new ball hockey court was opened with the Clark County School District, and the players spent quality time with pediatric patients at Summerlin Hospital, as well as with children at Cure 4 the Kids.
“They might say that it’s special for them, but it’s special for us too,” said Golden Knights forward Brett Howden about the visit with Cure 4 the Kids patients.
The players spent an entire afternoon with the pediatric patients, learning about their interests and their treatments. Every child got to spend time with one of the athletes, and each athlete got the privilege to put a smile on the faces of children who were dealing with so much hardship.
In addition to grocery gift cards, hospital visits, and care kits for the homeless, the Vegas Golden Knights Foundation also organized toy drives, designed a playground in partnership with KABOOM!, donated shoes to children at Fong Elementary School in collaboration with America First Credit Union, distributed food for the holidays with Three Square Food Bank, hosted children from Adams Place at a morning skate with Keegan Kolesar, and held a pet adoption event at Friends of Henderson with Zach Whitecloud, covering up to $15,000 in adoption fees.
“We’re starting to make an impact in this community, and kids are starting to take notice of it.” Kolesar said.
As the Golden Knights continue to strengthen their bond with the Las Vegas community, they remain committed to their mission of making a difference both on and off the ice. They plan to continue these initiatives and expand their efforts to an even larger scale. Through these initiatives, the Las Vegas community can continue to cheer for their team, knowing that the Vegas Golden Knights are dedicated to giving back and uplifting the community that welcomed them with open arms, love, and excitement, knowing that the Vegas Golden Knights will have their backs.
