Phantoms Wives To Present Check for $82,945 To Families of Freedom

April 5, 2002 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Adirondack Phantoms News Release


(PHILADELPHIA, April 5, 2002) - The Phantoms Wives Charity Foundation, a division of the Comcast-Spectacor Foundation, will be presenting a check for $82,945 to the Families of Freedom Scholarship Fund* this Saturday, April 6 following four successful fund-raising events throughout the season. The ceremony will take place prior to Philadelphia's game against the Norfolk Admirals at 7:05 p.m.

The Phantoms Wives' first fund-raising event of the season raised $31,803 during Turn Back the Clock Night on Nov. 18, as Phantoms players wore replica 1967 Flyers jerseys and then auctioned them off following the game. The second-annual player bachelor auction on Friday, Dec. 7 then raised $2,475, as fans placed bids for the chance to go on a date with one of seven single Phantoms players.

A total of $28,428 was collected on Feb. 18 in the second live jersey auction. In celebrating Presidents' Day, the team wore special red, white & blue jerseys before heading to Bullies to auction them off. The final jersey auction took place online after the Phantoms wore special fatigue-style jerseys during their game on March 22. The week-long auction brought in $8,739.

Checks totaling $11,000 were also happily accepted from the Atlantic District of USA Hockey and Flyers Skate Zone on March 1. The Atlantic District of USA Hockey ($8,500) and Flyers Skate Zone ($2,500) sold special Hockey Stands United patches and t-shirts to benefit the Families of Freedom Scholarship Fund. In addition, the Phantoms Phan Club added $500 to the total on April 1.

Two non-profit organizations partnered to create the Families of Freedom Scholarship Fund, which provides educational assistance to financially needy children and spouses of those killed or permanently disabled as a result of the Sept. 11 tragedies. The Citizen's Scholarship Foundation of America (SM) (CSFA) is the nation's largest nonprofit private-sector scholarship and educational support organization, started in 1958. The Lumina Foundation for Education pledged $2 million directly to the fund, and an additional $1 million dollar-for-dollar matching grant from individual organizations.

"We are extremely grateful to the Philadelphia Phantoms and their fans for this very special donation," said Donald U. Smith, a member of the CSFA National Advisory Board who will be accepting the check from the Phantoms Wives on Saturday. "We pledge that 100 percent of all contributions to the Fund will go directly to aid students."

For more information on the Families of Freedom Scholarship Fund and CSFA, log on to www.familiesoffreedom.org or www.csfa.org. Saturday will also be Fan Appreciation Night, as the Phantoms play their last regular-season home game at the First Union Spectrum. Dozens of prizes will be given away, including the Phantoms' jerseys that night through the Shirts Off Our Backs promotion. Everyone in attendance will receive a Phantoms poster, and be there before the puck is dropped to see who wins the Phantoms annual team awards. Be sure to also stop by the display on the concourse to get a close-up look at the AHL Calder Cup trophy. For ticket information, call 215-465-4522 or log on to www.phantomshockey.com .

Comcast-Spectacor (www.comcast-spectacor.com) is the Philadelphia-based sports and entertainment firm which owns the Philadelphia Flyers, Philadelphia 76ers, Philadelphia Phantoms, Flyers Skate Zone, Comcast SportsNet, and the Bowie Baysox, Delmarva Shorebirds and Frederick Keys baseball teams, all affiliates of the Baltimore Orioles. Comcast-Spectacor is also the principal owner of Global-Spectrum, which manages public assembly facilities and events worldwide.



American Hockey League Stories from April 5, 2002


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