I got to spend my Tuesday morning up in Frisco at Comerica Center.
But no, the Dallas Stars were not practicing… although some NHL and AHL guys were skating, and Stars GM Jim Nill and head coach Glen Gulutzan will do their press conferences tomorrow to kick off training camp.
Instead, I spent my time watching the Stars youngsters improve to 2-0-1 in the prospect games up in Michigan and then experiencing a wonderful moment and donation ahead of North Texas Giving Day.
A couple of days before Giving Day (Thursday), the amazing foundation ‘Brave Like Ellie’ got together at Comerica Center to record a promotional video… Or at least that’s what they thought they were doing there.
Instead, the Stars and Amazon teamed up to surprise them with a special moment and more importantly, a $25,000 donation in the form of one of those giant checks that Happy Gilmore always stored in his car. The donation exceeded their Giving Day goal by 2.5 times and kick-started their $60,000 goal before Christmas.
Stars players Matt Duchene and Thomas Harley were at the forefront of this surprise, walking in with the massive check before taking pictures and sharing some kind words with all involved.
“I worked with Brave Like Ellie last year with my charity suite,” Duchene said. “And I said it before, my youngest is named Ellie, and this is inspired by [Founder Jennifer Johnson’s] youngest, who passed, named Ellie. So, tugs on some serious heartstrings for me, and what they’re doing was really similar to the inspiration behind my charity suite. So working with them last year was a pleasure, and this is really special.”
When Amazon approached the Stars about which charity to make this donation to, Duchene said Brave Like Ellie was the first one he thought of.
“Brave Like Ellie – serves North Texas families affected by pediatric cancer, providing Brave Boxes with toys, activities, and comfort items. Founded in honor of Elizabeth Grace (Ellie), who passed away from acute myeloid leukemia in January 2017 at age three, the organization carries forward her spirit to support families facing childhood cancer.”
The foundation also makes boxes for holidays that they refer to as “A party in a box” for families who are unable to celebrate at home.
Donate or learn more about Brave Like Ellie
The emotion and excitement when Duchene and Harley walked in and presented the check was really amazing to see, and this is something the Stars and their foundation and have worked really hard to do more and more of every season.
“Yeah, it’s pretty special,” Harley said. “We came in, and I think she started tearing up a little bit. So anytime you’re able to give back like this, it’s pretty special… I think it’s important for us as athletes to do this, and the Stars as an organization, they’re very supportive in finding ways to do this. There’s not really any reason not to do this, you know?”
“We’re very blessed to be able to do what we’re doing for a living and living our dream, and making the money we’re able to make,” Duchene said. “And I think it’s our responsibility, and it’s a privilege to give back. It’s really special. Puts a lot of things in perspective.”
It was also a cool tie-in to have Amazon involved after the Stars officially moved their TV coverage to Amazon Prime starting this season. There were a few Amazon reps there to present the check to Brave Like Ellie, as well as surprise the Dallas Stars Foundation with yet another $25,000 check to “Welcome them to the Amazon family.”
“Whatever makes it easier, easiest for fans to watch us, and, you know, our family members. I mean, that’s great,” Duchene said about the Prime deal. “Amazon’s a massive company, and there are definitely a few of those boxes sitting outside my house with my wife ordering them all the time. So it’s a name we’re very familiar with.”
Me: “So, you’re a Prime member? You don’t have to pay for it?”
“Yeah, my wife’s a Prime member. I’ll say that.”
And one more thing… I can tell you from my brief chats with Duchene and Harley that this summer was far too long for them and the Stars. The team has been itching to get back on the ice and will do just that when training camp kicks off on Thursday.
