T-Birds’ hockey Challenge raises $200,000 for RMHC

For the Reporter

The Seattle Thunderbirds’ 16th annual Hockey Challenge on Saturday at the ShoWare Center raised $200,000 for Ronald McDonald House Charities of Western Washington & Alaska (RMHC).

The Hockey Challenge has now raised more than $4.5 million for the RMHC in 16 years.

Hockey teams are formed by sponsors that raise money to play in the Challenge.

All proceeds from the Challenge directly support operations of the Seattle Ronald McDonald House, which provides a “home-away-from-home” for children and their families receiving medical treatment at Seattle’s Children’s Hospital, making each day a little easier. In fact, last year the Seattle Ronald McDonald House provided accommodations for 546 families.

There were seven games played during the Challenge on Saturday. The first five games were played by seven teams from various divisions at Microsoft, a team from Concur, and women’s teams made up of local recreational league players.

The T-Birds vs. Kamloops Blazers game followed, and the event was capped off by the Celebrity T-Birds Alumni All-Star Game.

“We are very grateful to the Seattle Thunderbirds and all of the teams and sponsors that helped make the 16th Hockey Challenge such a success,” said Dianna Finnerty, executive director of RMHC. “It was a truly great event this year with lots of enthusiasm and team spirit while raising money to support the families at the Seattle Ronald McDonald House. We feel very fortunate to have such great partners.”

“We owe a big thank you to all the players from the Challenge teams, T-Birds alumni, sponsors, volunteers and T-Birds fans that made the 2014 Challenge so successful,” said Ian Henry, T-Birds director of public and media relations. “Hitting the $200,000 mark is a great testament to the hard work and dedication of all involved. These funds will directly impact the RMHC which will help families staying at the House focus on getting their loved ones healthy.”