Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation
Non-profit supporting youth wellness and community engagement.
The Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation is a non-profit organization established on July 20, 2010, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and sponsored by the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins. It focuses on preventive wellness, developmental support, and charitable activities, emphasizing life skills and youth engagement through various programs.
Quick Facts
- Location
- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Region served
- Greater Pittsburgh Area
Facts from the source article.
Programs
The foundation launched HeadsUP Pittsburgh in 2011 with UPMC Sports Medicine to educate young athletes about concussions. The program provides free baseline concussion testing for youth hockey players in the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Hockey League, the Pittsburgh Amateur Hockey League, and other local USA Hockey-affiliated groups. These tests, similar to those given to NHL players, assess cognitive functions such as processing speed, memory, and visual-motor skills, using the Impact computer program administered by the UPMC Sports Concussion group. Beginning in the 2012-13 school year, the foundation introduced Pens FIT, which supplied free ball hockey gear and lesson plans to 260 elementary schools in Allegheny County. A street hockey curriculum was developed with the Pittsburgh Penguins and California University of Pennsylvania, and the program includes teacher training and sessions with Penguins coaching staff and alumni. Pens FIT is funded entirely by proceeds from the 2011 Civic Arena Roof ornament sales and is a three-year initiative that expanded beyond Allegheny County by the end of 2024. Project Power Play addresses sedentary habits by building outdoor athletic facilities for structured physical activity. In collaboration with Highmark, two Dek hockey rinks were completed in Pittsburgh—at Banks Ville Park and Lewis Park in Hazelwood—as part of a $2.1 million project with plans for ten more facilities in Allegheny County and neighboring communities.
Signature Events
Since 1986, the Penguins have held an annual charity gala benefiting local children's medical research charities, raising over $5.75 million. In 2009, the team reorganized this gala as the Skates & Plates Charity Gala presented by Trib Total Media, benefiting the Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation, Mario Lemieux Foundation, and Western Pennsylvania Chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. At this event, Penguins players wear tuxedos and serve as waiters, passing plates instead of pucks. The evening includes a silent auction, and prizes are awarded for the top tips collected by players, with tips being donations to the selected charities. The foundation also hosts an annual Wine Tasting Gala and VIP Dinner at CONSOL Energy Center to support its community efforts. In March 2013, the Penguins Foundation and Mario Lemieux Foundation held a second Charity Auction on ROOT Sports, where fans at the March 26 home game could purchase mystery bags of Penguins memorabilia, each containing an autographed item. For those not attending, SportsNet Pittsburgh promoted online sales and additional auction items on the foundation's website, with proceeds benefiting cancer research, neonatal research, and youth charities. Hockey Fights Cancer, founded in December 1998 by the NHL and NHL Players' Association, has raised over $12.8 million through US and Canadian foundations for cancer research, children's hospitals, and player charities.
Fundraising
One fan wins half the collected amount each game; the majority of the remaining half goes to that game's selected charity, with the rest distributed by the foundation to a local 501c3 charity. A different charity is chosen for each game.
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