IOWA WILD RAISES OVER $25,000 FOR ALS NIGHT
Nov 17, 2015Jersey Auction Helps Team Generate Massive Donation for ALS Association Iowa Chapter
DES MOINES, IA – The Iowa Wild, proud American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the NHL’s Minnesota Wild, announced on Tuesday, the team helped generate more than $25,000 to The ALS Association, Iowa Chapter over this past weekend.
As part of Veterans Appreciation Weekend, the team wore specialty “Stars and Stripes” jerseys to celebrate and honor Veterans on Nov. 13-14. The game-worn jerseys were auctioned off after the game on Saturday night, with fans getting an opportunity to purchase their favorite Wild players’ jersey and take a picture with the player. The live auction raised close to $24,000 in total, with left wing Kurtis Gabriel’s jersey pulling in the highest bid of the night at $3,100. In addition, the team raised extra funds through ticket sales and chuck-a-puck money to go over $25,000 for The ALS Association, Iowa Chapter. A portion of the total funds will go directly to the ALS Association, Iowa Chapter.
“Our partnership with the Iowa Wild helps our organization on all fronts - advocacy, awareness, fundraising, and even direct support for people living with ALS through volunteer efforts,” said ALS Association, Iowa Chapter Executive Director Josh Nuss. “Our chapter looks forward to seeing this valued partnership continue to grow.”
ALS, often referred to as Lou Gehrig's Disease, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. When a person has ALS, the ability of the brain to initiate and control muscle movement is lost. For most people living with ALS, essential functions such as walking, speech, swallowing and breathing are significantly diminished. With voluntary muscle action progressively affected, patients in the later stages of the disease may become totally paralyzed. Eventually, the progressive degeneration of motor neurons leads to patients’ death. A typical person with ALS lives 2-5 years after diagnosis. There is currently no known cause or cure for ALS, however it is known that military Veterans are twice as likely to develop ALS as the civilian population.
The ALS Association is the only not-for-profit health organization dedicated solely to fighting ALS. As the preeminent ALS organization, The Association leads the way in research, patient and community services, public education, and advocacy — giving help and hope to those facing the disease. The ALS Association, Iowa Chapter provides direct services, resources and support to Iowans affected by ALS through our care services and programs. The core Chapter services include Home Visits, Support Groups, Equipment Loan Program, Communication and Assistive Device Program, a General Grant Program and Community/Healthcare Education.
Over 85% of the money raised through The ALS Association, Iowa Chapter stays local to provide services to Iowan’s impacted by ALS. We also support global, cutting-edge ALS research and participate in state and federal advocacy efforts to find additional treatments and a cure. There are approximately 250 Iowans living with ALS at any given time and our Chapter has grown from providing services to a handful of patients with ALS in the Des Moines area in 2003 to serving 150+ patients statewide in 2013. Additionally, we have developed partnerships with hospitals across the state to ensure people are connected with the services we provide as soon as possible after diagnosis. For more information regarding The ALS Association, Iowa Chapter, please contact Sarah Lettow at sarah@alsaiowa.org or 515-369-2574.
Iowa hosts Lake Erie for a pair of games next weekend on Friday, Nov. 20 and Saturday, Nov. 21. Friday is $2 beer night sponsored by 100.3 The Bus. The Wild hosts a canned food drive presented by 72 Degree Comfort Company benefitting Food Bank of Iowa. Fans that bring in a canned food item receive a ticket voucher to a future Iowa Wild home game. Friday’s game features “Bring Your Buds” ticket package, including one ticket, one 16 oz. Bud or Bud Light at the Wild game, one hot dog, one popcorn, $1 OFF Bud or Bud Light 25 oz. cans during the game, and one free Bud or Bud Light at Carl’s Place.
Saturday’s game is “Youth Sports” day sponsored by NASH FM. The first 1,500 fans (12 and under) receive an Iowa Wild Red Youth Jersey courtesy of LeafGuard and NASH FM. The “Legends Brewdog Pack” is also available Saturday night. The “Subway Combo Pack” is available for purchase starting at $12, including one ticket, one hot dog, one soda, and one Subway coupon.
Fans may purchase single-game tickets multiple ways, either through the team's website – www.Iowawild.com, the Wells Fargo Arena box office or participating Hy-Vee food stores. Tickets are available online at www.Iowawild.com under the single game tickets tab. The Wells Fargo Arena box office is open Monday – Friday from 10:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m., Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. and closed on Sunday. For Saturday game days, the box office will open at 10 a.m. For Sunday game days the box office will open at 12 p.m. Fans may also purchase tickets by calling 1-844-55-HYVEE or by visiting participating Hy-Vee food stores locations in the greater Des Moines area. Those interested may also visit www.hy-veetix.com. Fans interested in buying full season, or smaller season packages may call the Iowa Wild front office at 515-564-8700.
The Iowa Wild 2015-16 season is presented by Mercy Medical Center, it runs from October through April. Fans may purchase seats to see any of the team’s 38 regular season home games at Wells Fargo Arena. Season tickets to see the Wild play its 2015-16 season at Wells Fargo Arena start at just $9 per game. For more information on tickets, including ticket plans and group seating, please contact the Wild ticket office by calling 515-564-8700 or go to www.iowawild.com.
Follow the Iowa Wild on Twitter @IAWILD or like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/iawild.
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