GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The Grand Rapids Griffins will present their Tip-A-Griffin fundraiser on Monday, Nov. 16 from 5:30-8:30 p.m. at seven Grand Rapids-area Applebee's restaurant locations to raise money for Habitat for Humanity of Kent County.All Griffins players, coaches and hockey staff members will trade their sticks for food trays to serve Applebee's patrons as waiters or bartenders. All tips and donations received by Griffins personnel and Applebee's employees during the event will be donated to support Habitat for Humanity of Kent County's 2009-10 collegiate build in Grand Rapids. In its first five years, Tip-A-Griffin raised more than $50,000 for various local charities.
Griffins personalities will be dispersed to each location as follows (subject to change):
Caledonia (1685 Market Place Drive SE) Jakub Kindl Tomas Tatar Jim Paek - Assistant coach Rob Snitzer - Medical therapist Jake Visser - Assistant equipment manager
Comstock Park (3851 Alpine Avenue NW) Dick Axelsson Mattias Ritola John Vigilante Brad Thompson - Equipment manager
Grand Rapids (4955 28th Street) Cory Emmerton Doug Janik Ryan Oulahen Logan Pyett Curt Fraser - Head coach
Grand Rapids (250 Grand Ridge Drive NE, East Beltline near Knapps Corner) Travis Ehrhardt Kris Newbury Francis Pare
Grandville (4488 Potomac Avenue) Andy Delmore Sergei Kolosov Daniel Larsson Jan Mursak
Walker (4475 Lake Michigan Drive) Evan McGrath Sebastien Piche Jamie Tardif Jeremy Williams
Wyoming (1375 28th Street SW) Paul Crosty Thomas McCollum Patrick Rissmiller Mike Walsh
In addition, all proceeds from the event's live and silent auctions will benefit Habitat for Humanity of Kent County. Available items include:
* Custom-designed aprons that each member of the Griffins will wear during the event. Each apron will be autographed by the Griffins personality and made available during a live auction between 8-8:30 p.m.;
* All seven locations will jointly bid for one Pavel Datsyuk signed Red Wings jersey during a live auction;
* All locations will offer each of the following though silent auctions from 5:30-8 p.m.: - four tickets to a Griffins game; - a Griffins team-autographed jersey; - a Griffins team-autographed helmet; - a Griffins team-autographed stick; - and a Griffins game puck signed by goaltender Thomas McCollum.
Habitat for Humanity of Kent County is a non-profit, volunteer-driven organization that builds homes in partnership with low-income families. Habitat homes are not given away; they are purchased by homeowners through zero-interest mortgages. Habitat for Humanity of Kent County is the top-producing Habitat affiliate in Michigan, and has built more than 275 homes, both new and rehab, since its founding in 1983. Habitat for Humanity of Kent County is the only non-profit builder in Kent and Eastern Ottawa Counties serving families earning 30%-60% of the area median income, approximately $19,680-$37,260 per year, based on income guidelines for a family of four.
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