Reign Donate $560,764 to Local Charities
June 19, 2018 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Ontario Reign News Release
ONTARIO, CA - The Ontario Reign announced today that they donated more than $560,000 and 800 volunteer hours to the local community over the course of the 2017-18 AHL season. The Reign's donations, combined with the other 29 teams in the AHL, raised a total of more than 5.7 million dollars during the 2017-18 season. In three seasons as a member of the AHL, the Ontario Reign alone have donated more than 1.8 million dollars to the Inland Empire community.
The largest Reign initiatives this season were awareness nights and jersey auctions, which each raised over $180,000 in donations to local charities. The Reign auctioned off 10 different specialty jerseys throughout the course of the 2017-18 season, highlighted by Military Appreciation Night on April 6. Ontario wore special, military appreciation jerseys that raised more than $37,000 for Bob Hope USO Ontario. The Reign also raised more than $32,000 from the annual Reign Gala, which saw specialty jersey sales benefit the Be Perfect Foundation, as well as Pink in the Rink Night, which benefitted the San Antonio Regional Hospital's breast and imaging center with more than $30,000 raised.
At each home game during the 2017-18 season, the Reign offered unique fundraising opportunities for local non-profit and youth organizations to raise funds. The organizations used ticket fundraising, chuck-a-puck and specialty rally towels that the groups sold to fans throughout the game. Over the course of the campaign, groups raised more than $180,000 for their own causes and missions.
The Reign also put an emphasis on committing to education, specifically through the Cool School and Read to Reign programs. Cool School saw 45 different schools visit Citizens Business Bank Arena for a morning preseason contest against the San Diego Gulls on September 28. Cool School is a yearly, education themed game that provides hockey related materials to students and teachers from around the Inland Empire. The Hope Reigns Foundation offered financial grants to help schools cover transportation costs to and from the game to allow students to experience the Cool School game.
The Reign to Read initiative is a reading-based incentive program that is offered to all students from kindergarten through sixth grade around the Inland Empire. By participating in the program and reading successfully throughout the school year, students could win Reign tickets and prizes. During the 2017-18 season, more than 10,000 students from over 100 schools participated in the program, which aimed to incentivize students to read outside of the classroom setting. The Reign to Read program also held a book drive during Opening Weekend, which collected more than 500 books to benefit the Ontario Public Library.
The Reign also held several initiatives around the holidays to raise money and items in need around the community. On November 22, the Reign, along with several volunteers, collected over 700 non-perishable food items to benefit the Foothill Family Shelter. Less than a month later, on December 16, the Reign held their annual Teddy Bear Toss which collected more than 6,000 teddy bears that were donated to Toys for Tots. The Hope Reigns Foundation also raised more than $13,000 through the sales of mystery pucks and holiday ornaments at games. The Mystery pucks allowed fans to purchase a puck signed by a random Reign player while holiday ornaments were collectable, glass items for the holiday season.
As a part of more than 800 hours in the local community, Reign players, coaches, staff and Kingston, the Reign's mascot, visited several different groups and programs throughout the Inland Empire. These appearances include youth hockey events, both with the Jr. Reign youth hockey program and street hockey events at elementary schools throughout the community, school programs that focused on reading and teamwork, the Loma Linda Children's Hospital, the Inland Empire Ronald McDonald House and many more. Reign players also participated in the inaugural Pins & Pucks event, a bowling fundraiser, presented by U.S. Bank and held at Big Al's in Ontario. On January 23, Reign fans had the opportunity to bowl with their favorite Reign players and, through lane sponsorships, silent auctions and raffles, the event raised over $35,000 for the Hope Reigns Foundation.
The Ontario Reign begin their 2018-19 season in October. Don't miss all the exciting action as the Reign celebrate eleven years of hockey in the Inland Empire. For Reign season tickets, along with information on other ticket plans, call 909.941.7825 or visit OntarioReign.com.
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