Kings All-Star Legacy Project

Friday morning the Kings opened their celebrations by re-opening the Crenshaw Family YMCA, which now boasts much needed upgrades thanks to the Kings All-Star Legacy Project. I spoke with Kelly Cheeseman, COO of AEG, who has had his plate full with the 50th and the club’s commitment to doing 50 charitable acts around the city. “The Forever 50 program has been big and daunting this year,” he said, “but to be getting out there and celebrate all these different events, actually make an impact on the community, it goes a long way. We work so hard on a day to day basis to actually raise the dollars but actually putting them to work. Put your dollars behind what you’re talking about.” The building was upgraded with a new STEAM Lab (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math), new amenities, upgraded playground and picnic areas including new furniture, play area flooring and gardens. The $1 million raised for this YMCA was part of $3 million earmarked for the YMCA as a whole, which includes the distribution of 5000 hockey sticks to implement street hockey programs. “It was 30 days all in,” Kelly said. “It took a little bit of time to get everyone rallied up behind it but once we did we just had to get to work and hats off to the Y, they really ran with it once they had the commitment. They went through the design and got it all done, and they raised some additional dollars for the board members here it’s been great. Now a YMCA that was very close to closing is now going to be here for a long time.”

We’re grateful for the opportunity this is providing for us to shine a spotlight for our activities, our players, our game, our history,” said NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. “And all the feedback I’m getting is that all this has been nothing short of sensational. So I want to thank Phil Anschutz, David Beckman and Luc Robitaille for all of their efforts on our behalf in turning this very complicated – complicated, I guess, is the right word – undertaking into a reality. I want to thank and recognize the Kings for using this All-Star opportunity to also conduct a variety of other events throughout the community. It’s a significant point for all our teams to give back to the community in which they play, so this week, for example, the Kings helped to build an edible and interactive garden for students at an elementary school, conducted clean-up days at area beaches, they participated in a Habitat For Humanity home build and, in conjunction with the Kings, the League was proud to undertake our Legacy effort at the Crenshaw Family YMCA, where we rededicated that facility. We think that anything that we can do as a League, and I know our teams and our players believe it, to give back to the community and make a difference in people’s lives is part of the responsibility that we have based on the visibility and role that we have.”