April 2023 Recap: Environmental Awareness Month

Every April the Sharks Foundation focuses on environmental stewardship and sustainability efforts. To kickstart the campaign, a $7,500 Community Assist Grant was dedicated to Save Our Shores in partnership with HP/Poly. The funding supported their mission to foster thriving and sustainable ecosystems in the Monterey Bay and surrounding habitats through equitable environmental action that will have a positive impact on 75,000 residents.

On April 1, members of Team Teal, S.J. Sharkie, the mayor's office, and local neighbors collected ten tons of trash from the Guadalupe River alongside South Bay Clean Creeks Coalition (SBCCC). SBCCC's mission is to reclaim, restore, and revitalize watersheds by establishing partnerships with local agencies to hold regular clean-ups along the Guadalupe River and its connected creeks. Over the past ten years, SBCCC has completed 400 clean-ups and removed 1.35 million pounds of trash to help improve the health of the environment. Watch a recap video of the activation above!

Later that week on April 6, the Foundation selected SBCCC as the beneficiary of the 50/50 Raffle presented by Cache Creek Casino Resort. The $2,590 donation will help support their mission and impact 1,000 lives from the services they provide.

Also this month, the Sharks partnered with the San Francisco 49ers, San Francisco Giants, Oakland A's, Golden State Warriors, and San Jose Earthquakes on a joint scholarship program for high school seniors, forming the Bay Area All-Star Scholarship Team (BAASST). Each sports team contributed to the program by identifying one outstanding student and awarding them a $5,000 scholarship. Students were selected based on their excellence and achievements in the classroom and on the playing field. On April 4, the Sharks were proud to welcome the 2023 BAASST winners to SAP Center. The group was hosted in a suite to watch the Sharks face the Colorado Avalanche.

The 2023 Sharks BAASST program presented by Chegg winner was Kayla Steele from Saratoga High School! Click here to see how S.J. Sharkie surprised her at school with the award.

Also that night, in-line with supporting Earth science education, the 50/50 benefited Walden West Foundation and their mission to provide equitable access to nature to the emerging leaders of tomorrow. Walden West works to empower the children of Santa Clara County to develop a life-long passion for science, engineering, and environmental stewardship.

The $3,765 raised will sponsor 25 students from Title 1 schools to attend Outdoor Education with their classmates. Walden West Executive Director Andrea Maes shared, "the Sharks Foundation was so supportive in helping our small foundation through the 50/50 Raffle. It was thrilling to see our logo and name at the game and in the Sharks Communication to fans. With community partnerships like this, the Walden West Foundation is able to inspire the next generation of environmental scientists."

From April 4-6 the Foundation hosted an auction featuring EuanArt shark photography and Sharks-themed reclaimed and recycled items. To support conservation efforts, $4,000 in net proceeds generated from the auction was donated to PangeaSeed to support their mission to further the preservation of our oceans. Funds will impact 200 lives and will be directed toward their Sea Walls: Artists for Oceans program and the implementation of future projects.

PangeaSeed Director of Operations Akira Biondo said, "the Sharks Foundation's generous contribution will allow PangeaSeed Foundation to continue expanding the reach of our community-based ARTivism efforts that inspire positive ocean action and stewardship." On April 6, the Sharks Foundation was excited to welcome representatives from the partners and beneficiaries of the 22-23 Goals for Kids program to a Sharks home game to celebrate the season coming to a close. A pre-game check presentation took place to acknowledge the $226,000 climbing jackpot.

When the season officially ended on April 13, each of our seven beneficiaries: Child Advocates of Silicon Valley, Bill Wilson Center, Jewish Family Services of Silicon Valley, Self-eSTEM, Habitat for Humanity East Bay/Silicon Valley, Loved Twice, and Hope Services, received a $33,429 donation to support their commitment to diversity, inclusion, and belonging in the Bay Area. The $234,000 raised will impact 4,399 lives! "To have a local professional sports team support our foster youth is inspiring and a huge benefit to not only Child Advocates, but other non-profits in our community," said Child Advocates of Silicon Valley Programs Director Mary Patterson. "For the foster youth we serve, the Sharks organization is modeling good citizenship and generosity - two important characteristics to build in any community."

Goals for Kids would not exist without its generous Presenting Partners: Taube Philanthropies, Chegg , and Tech CU, and Participating Sponsor: SWENSON. As every goal scored raised $1,000 for the community pot of funds, Sharks players like Logan Couture who scored 27 goals this season, also had a huge hand in the program's success.

From April 7-9 the Foundation paid tribute to the end of this season's "New Era" by auctioning a set of custom, autographed Evolve jerseys. More than $10,000 was raised to support the Sharks Foundation's mission of enhancing the lives of underserved youth and families in the Bay Area. In total, the Sharks Foundation dedicated $17,855 and impacted 76,225 lives this April.