Celebrating a goal from Fabian Zetterlund, Macklin Celebrini, or any San Jose Sharks player this season will mean much more than winning games at home and on the road. When the Sharks score at SAP Center and in NHL arenas across North America, thousands of Bay Area children will, once again, benefit from the Sharks Foundation’s Goals for Kids program.
Entering its 11th season, the Goals for Kids program is a partnership between the Sharks Foundation, presenting partners Taube Philanthropies and Tech CU, and participating sponsor Swenson Foundation, to donate $1,000 for every goal scored by a Sharks player in support of local non-profit organizations championing opportunities for youth and families in need. Last season, the Sharks scored 180 goals and, as a result, the Goals for Kids program contributed $180,000 to local non-profit organizations.
The 2024-25 season slate of beneficiary organizations represent a diverse array of communities served, each with a mission aligned to the Sharks Foundation’s impact priorities of education, health, safety and character development. This season's beneficiaries are Access Books Bay Area, George Mark Children's House, Hack the Hood, Okizu, Ronald McDonald House Charities Bay Area, Save The Bay, and Scientific Adventures for Girls.
Contributions from the Goals for Kids program leave a lasting impact on the organizations receiving the funds as well as the individuals they serve.
"We are extremely honored to be a beneficiary of the Sharks Foundation Goals for Kids program,” said Porsche Gordon, Ronald McDonald House Charities Bay Area vice president of advancement. “The support of the Sharks Foundation has an immense impact on the families we serve, providing essential resources and support during challenging times. We are profoundly grateful for the Sharks Foundation’s commitment to making a difference in our communities, and we pledge to continue our mission of providing essential services that remove barriers, strengthen families, and promote healing when children need healthcare.”
For the Sharks Foundation, this longstanding commitment of leveraging the excitement of goals scored into making a positive impact on the community has become a cornerstone of the organization.
“The Goals for Kids program ensures that each goal scored by a San Jose Sharks player helps our non-profit partners achieve their goals in the community,” said Heather Hooper, Sharks Foundation Director of Social Impact. “The Sharks Foundation is extremely grateful for the continued support of our partners who share in our vision to make a positive impact on the lives of so many in our community and who support this longstanding program and the incredible non-profits that benefit from it.”
Since its inception in 2014, for every goal scored by the San Jose Sharks, Goals for Kids has made a $1,000 donation to a running sum of funds which has been evenly distributed amongst the program’s beneficiaries at the completion of each season. To date, the Goals for Kids program has donated more than $2.4 million and positively impacted nearly 150,000 lives.
Goals for Kids is one of the signature ways the Sharks Foundation and its generous donors support Bay Area communities each year. With a goal of contributing $1 million back to local non-profits this season, the importance of programs like Goals for Kids help deepen the impact for youth and families in need.
“As the Sharks Foundation celebrates its 30th anniversary, we look forward to bringing vital resources needed in our community to some of the area’s most respected non-profit organizations,” said Kevin Brown, Executive Director, Sharks Foundation & Head of Community Impact for Sharks Sports & Entertainment. “Through initiatives like Goals for Kids, we’re leveraging the excitement and importance of scoring goals to also win big for youth and families throughout our Bay Area community.”
As Sharks fans celebrate iconic goals scored this season, the Sharks Foundation is cheering for more than wins on the ice because those Sharks goals are also ensuring that Bay Area non-profit organizations receive the resources they need to help youth and families in our community succeed.
To learn more about Goals for Kids and ways to support the Sharks Foundation’s mission please visit Sharksfoundation.com.
