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Saves for Kids 2010-2011? (update)

UPDATE: The short version is to support Mike Green's So Kids Can. You can read the long version in my comment below.

The season is quickly approaching (ok, not quickly enough) and I want to get some conversation going about maybe doing Saves for Kids or something similar again. We raised a little more than $4,500 last spring, every penny of which went to Children's NICU.

Which brings us to this season......here are some options I've come up with; please fell free to throw out your own suggestions in the comments.

  1. Continue to pledge using the Saves for Kids model we used last year and independently donate that money to Children's. I'd make sure word gets to Theo about the donation.
  2. Use the SfK model but continue to work through Washington Capitals Charities, probably with another player charity designated as the pledge recipient. Mike Green's charities are an obvious choice, but I would find out what other options there are.
  3. Come up with a new model that isn't so goalie-heavy; decide if option 1 or 2 is the better way to go for donations
  4. Not do a pledge drive this year.

I know that nothing will top last season; I'm not even going to try. But I do know I am immensely proud to belong to a community that came together in support of a great cause, and I hope we can do it again.

If you have other ideas or suggestions, please leave a comment! I'm sure there are some great ideas that I haven't thought of.

And once again, a huge thank you to everyone who participated last season!

If this FanPost is written by someone other than one of the blog's editors, the opinions expressed in it do not necessarily reflect those of this blog or SB Nation.

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I’m in for whatever format works best.

John Carlson - Glory follows him.

by boutros23 on Aug 23, 2010 4:56 PM EDT reply actions  

Count me in as well!

by N2CAPS on Aug 24, 2010 7:29 AM EDT up reply actions  

Count me in again too. My preference would be a current Cap’s charity. I will contribute to whatever the group decides on.

Women are angels. And when someone breaks our wings, we simply continue to fly ...on a broomstick. We're flexible like that (:

by MR Laughlin18 on Aug 24, 2010 12:51 PM EDT up reply actions  

I guess I’d want to use a current Cap’s charity and base it upon his stats (i.e. Green’s charity, pledge per goal, assist and SOG or something).

Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world

by J.P. on Aug 23, 2010 5:24 PM EDT reply actions  

It’d be a pity if he (not talking about Green) gets traded in mid-season and we’d have to count goals/assists scored against the Caps…

Why not to base contributions upon a group of players: offense, defense, or goalies? And then change it next year. The Caps Charities can certainly find a way to deliver the money where it’s needed.

Cup, please.

by fnralch on Aug 23, 2010 11:02 PM EDT up reply actions  

I think supporting a group might be a good idea – a number of things can happen to an individual (injuries and so forth). With the offense, I’d go with assists, goals, and give extra credit for goals around the “bakery”.

by miseenjeu on Aug 24, 2010 7:01 AM EDT up reply actions  

here’s my reluctance to do it based on a group: it becomes a nightmare for me to track. One or two plays doing just goals and assists I’m fine with, but more than and I’m far more likely to start making mistakes. I try and make the spreadsheet do as much work as possible, but I still have to input all the data from each game by hand so it will update. If someone does a “special” donation based on another player’s totals (or something like hits per game!), I have to go in an do that by hand for every game, and that’s where I made mistakes previously.

Watching the O’s try to use strategy is like watching Mike Green trying to figure out the difference between "your" and "you’re"--Terpgrrl
Donation info for SAVES FOR KIDS 2010!! Make a difference.

by RedBirdie on Aug 24, 2010 11:29 AM EDT up reply actions  

My vote is yes- I’d like to do another drive this year. It’s part of Ted’s double-bottom line accounting too.

I had fun participating in SfK last year, and I liked the goalie randomness of it all – it made the games more interesting as I watched my nickel meter rise faster and slower.

Though I had an amount sorta picked in advance – we made that and a little more. I cashed in my piggybank and sent the proceeds to you.

Jose’s charity is still worthy, of course. The little kids aren’t less sick because he’s not playing for the Caps.

But some of the other players do good things too. The Knubles, for instance. And nicky does a lot with sick kids in Sweden.

Maybe a healthy kid who wants to play hockey? Sponsor a kid to Locker’s camp or buy some gear for a local school?

Here’s some more (previously unseen) pix of Theo and BigHeart52:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/19263647@N03/sets/72157624126696876/

You perhaps knew me better as "Your Nation's Capital." Same great commentary, now with 100% more transparency!

by EmilyB on Aug 23, 2010 5:25 PM EDT reply actions  

There are a ton of opportunities stats wise with Backstrom, but if you want to support one of the causes he supports, the money has to flow through a US Charity in order to realize a deduction on your US taxes.

I was thinking some kind of tie in with Brooksie scoring goals near the paint could be fun, but the goals would be too infrequent, it would be better for a corporate sponsor like Geico. “For every goal Laich scores from the Bakery, Geico will donate $1,000 to [regional food bank, or whatever]”

Could be a great tie-in, but not as interesting to track as SfK’s was.

I am a hockey fan first, and a Caps fan second.

by iwearstripes on Aug 24, 2010 6:14 PM EDT up reply actions  

“For every goal Laich scores from the Bakeru, AutoZone will donate $1,000 to the Broks Laich stranded traveler rescue fund.”

"This guy is an android. He's not human....Oh my goodness."

by Sam DC on Aug 26, 2010 12:18 PM EDT up reply actions  

edit . . . sigh

"This guy is an android. He's not human....Oh my goodness."

by Sam DC on Aug 26, 2010 12:19 PM EDT up reply actions  

I’d vote to do another drive through Washington Capitals charities. I think it’s great that Ted encourages a double bottom line, and that the Caps are committed to being involved in the local community.

I probably will continue to contribute to Children’s Hospital from time to time (I’d made several donations through other campaigns before last year). I think Childrens Hospital has a procedure for memorial gifts – hopefully we’ll know where to ask them to send acknowledgments to Theo.

I know I’ll always have a reminder of Chace’s birth date, since my sister’s birthday is June 23. Last August she had a kidney/pancreas transplant. She’s doing well now, but she was in and out of the hospital from July through October. She’s not much of a sports fan, but she was amused by my stories about the Caps.

by miseenjeu on Aug 23, 2010 10:16 PM EDT reply actions  

I’m not really in a position to contribute very much this year, though I do still owe my pledge from last year. Therefore, I will go with what the majority decides.

One thing I would very much like to have and think is a good idea is the ability to get written confirmation of the amount of large donations for tax purposes. If you plan to claim over $500 total in charitable donations, you’ll need that, and I’d really prefer to work through an organization that can provide same.

Hanlon's Razor: Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.

by gotsparkly on Aug 24, 2010 8:01 AM EDT reply actions  

If the donations go through Capitals Charities (or most any reputable organization), getting support shouldn’t be a problem. Smaller charities probably have staffing issues that make it difficult for them, but if we’re dealing with a player’s charity, I’d hope they’d be getting guidance and/or support from the team, like Theo did last year. You have to have documentation for contributions of any amount, be it a receipt from the organization or a cancelled check. That’s why having someone collect cash and then turning it in doesn’t give any benefit to the donor. When it gets to $250 to one organization is when there has to be a letter acknowledging the gift.

"It's always good to have vikings."

Proud member of the Oxford dictionary police.

by gfcaps fan on Aug 24, 2010 8:46 AM EDT up reply actions  

Capitals Charities provided me with a receipt for taxes for the donation I made to Theo’s charity. If we work through them, it shouldn’t be a problem to get a receipt. I believe we had to pay by check to get the receipt.

by vtcapsfan99 on Aug 24, 2010 10:56 PM EDT up reply actions  

yep. I asked anyone who needed confirmation for their taxes to print out the form and send their check to me or the Caps directly, rather than paypal. Glad to hear they got the receipt to you!

Watching the O’s try to use strategy is like watching Mike Green trying to figure out the difference between "your" and "you’re"--Terpgrrl
Donation info for SAVES FOR KIDS 2010!! Make a difference.

by RedBirdie on Aug 24, 2010 11:33 PM EDT up reply actions  

Caps Charities sent me letters for my donations via Paypal, which specifically said I should consider it my official receipt and save it for my records.. It looked like they’d developed a form letter specifically to address the information the IRS might want.

by miseenjeu on Aug 25, 2010 7:08 AM EDT up reply actions  

Great, good to know. I may donate independently then just to make sure I get the necessary forms, though I’ll still base it on whatever the group decides.

Hanlon's Razor: Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.

by gotsparkly on Aug 26, 2010 8:06 AM EDT up reply actions  

If Theo had been picked up by another team, which he still hasn’t (sadface), I’d have made a .05/save pledge based on his performance.

I’m willing to go with what folks decide, though working through Washington Capitals Charities is probably a good idea. I wonder if there’s any way to ask them what charitable organizations they support, and then decide…?

Photography: I Rock the Red
Twitter: @IRockTheRed
E-mail: irockthered {at} gmail {dot} com

by IRockTheRed on Aug 24, 2010 9:28 AM EDT reply actions  

I’m sure I can get a list of some of the charities the players support and then we can make a final decision.

Watching the O’s try to use strategy is like watching Mike Green trying to figure out the difference between "your" and "you’re"--Terpgrrl
Donation info for SAVES FOR KIDS 2010!! Make a difference.

by RedBirdie on Aug 24, 2010 11:31 AM EDT up reply actions  

I know that nothing will top last season; I’m not even going to try. But I do know I am immensely proud to belong to a community that came together in support of a great cause, and I hope we can do it again.

I think you’re underestimating the power of folks with a cause… :-)

I used to (before becoming a Caps STH) attend a sci-fi convention held up near Baltimore on Thanksgiving weekend… one year, they raised $613 to bribe a local band into playing a bawdy song. The $613 was donated to Children’s Hospital, and it became an annual fundraiser. The following year, the amount raised was doubled. The economy went to hell for a couple of years, and then when it came back, the convention raised over $5000 in one evening, prompting a promise from the aging, balding, hairy-chested, overweight lead singer to perform selections from Rocky Horror (in costume as Frank-n-Furter) if we raised $10k for Children’s Hospital the next year.

We did it. They did it. I have the photos to prove it. (I won’t subject you to them. It wasn’t pretty, LOL! Just trust me on this one.)

The remarkable thing is that this con has a maximum capacity of about 350 people.

When given the right cause, people will rally. We just have to pick the right cause, and do it for the right reasons. :-)

Photography: I Rock the Red
Twitter: @IRockTheRed
E-mail: irockthered {at} gmail {dot} com

by IRockTheRed on Aug 24, 2010 9:36 AM EDT reply actions  

I’m sure we can top $4,500 this season (after all, we raised all of that from March 1-May1). But, for me, nothing will top being able to give that money to Theo in person. For all of us to read Tarik’s article and all agree to come together and have it exceed my wildest expectations, that was great. To see how much it meant to Theo that we raised so much money because of him, I still can’t really describe how emotional that was. We were both near tears.

That said, I’m really excited to kick of this season and see what we can do!

Watching the O’s try to use strategy is like watching Mike Green trying to figure out the difference between "your" and "you’re"--Terpgrrl
Donation info for SAVES FOR KIDS 2010!! Make a difference.

by RedBirdie on Aug 24, 2010 11:42 AM EDT up reply actions  

I just got a little teary-eyed reading this—especially how you were able to demonstrate to Theo in person how many Caps fans supported him.

However you and Japers’ organizes “Saves for the Kids,” I will be happy to participate. It was a brilliant idea last season, one well worth continuing.

"I’m very happy to hear the news," Ovechkin said when he heard about Backstrom's longterm contract--"because he’s one of the top centers in the world, one of my best friends and we want to play together for a long time. He’s a guy who wants to stay in one place and be comfortable and win, just like me. We talk all the time about playing together, and we talked after the playoffs about how we can win in Washington."

by capsyoungguns on Aug 24, 2010 1:52 PM EDT up reply actions  

I hope that no one has to have that experience — a contribution for such a personal reason — again. But I like the thought of us making an annual effort for Caps Charities by whatever method makes the most sense or resonates best with the community.

"I wake up in the middle night frustrated because we lost out in the first round and I want to see our players hoist the Stanley Cup." -Brooks Laich

by CapitalCentre on Aug 24, 2010 4:33 PM EDT up reply actions  

Count me in again, as well. I’m sorry that I don’t have any suggestions, but will happily go along with whatever we decide.

by SOIBF Caps on Aug 24, 2010 1:36 PM EDT reply actions  

Two things:

1. No matter what you do, count me in again for parallel contributions for the Pens games in D.C.—e.g., I’ll go $5 a point for Crosby in games against the Caps, or a buck a save for MAF.
2. Perhaps a charity pickup game hosted at a local rink? We’ve done Rink Rat pickups…why not ask around if a rink or a youth organization with an extra hour or so of ice time would donate it for the cause? The Howard Huskies gave me an hour and a half two years ago for my Leukemia/Lymphoma Society fundraising. Get everyone to throw in $30 for the game, and you’ve got $600 before you know it.

by docciavelli on Aug 24, 2010 6:51 PM EDT reply actions  

awesome idea, and thanks for the support last season! (and hopefully this season, too!)

Watching the O’s try to use strategy is like watching Mike Green trying to figure out the difference between "your" and "you’re"--Terpgrrl
Donation info for SAVES FOR KIDS 2010!! Make a difference.

by RedBirdie on Aug 24, 2010 10:25 PM EDT up reply actions  

#2

Is kind of PCOI’s thing. I would contact them for a dual effort if that is what you wanted to do. Otherwise, I think it’s a low blow to steal their thunder.

by Brnny on Aug 25, 2010 11:51 AM EDT up reply actions  

Put Cancer On Ice. although I’m not sure they’re still active.

Watching the O’s try to use strategy is like watching Mike Green trying to figure out the difference between "your" and "you’re"--Terpgrrl
Donation info for SAVES FOR KIDS 2010!! Make a difference.

by RedBirdie on Aug 25, 2010 9:16 PM EDT up reply actions  

This Peerless Prognosticator link from February makes it sound as if they’ve gone into hiatus.

by miseenjeu on Aug 25, 2010 10:13 PM EDT reply actions  

ok, barring any serious objections, I’ll see what Miek Green’s charity is supporting this season (I think it changes every year?) Once I get that information, we can brainstorm about pledge models and options. And some other options, like docciavelli charity game idea. If it can be done, I’d love to try and raffle of some items for the pledge drive as part of a viewing party.

Watching the O’s try to use strategy is like watching Mike Green trying to figure out the difference between "your" and "you’re"--Terpgrrl
Donation info for SAVES FOR KIDS 2010!! Make a difference.

by RedBirdie on Aug 27, 2010 9:36 PM EDT reply actions  

I’m a little late to responding here, but I’m well in with what the group does and will help out as I can from a two hour plane ride away.

The key is to focus on raising the maximum $$ possible for whatever charity we choose. I worked for my kids’ old private school and am on the Board for the March of Dimes here in STL. I have seen people get over committed in organizing elaborate events and lose sight of the charity.

Not trying to be a bucket of cold water. Just passing on my experience.

Life With Spidey -- a blog about sports, travel, work, family and fun.
Representing Caps fandom in the Gateway to the West.

by STLSpidey on Aug 29, 2010 12:40 AM EDT reply actions  

STLSpidey raises a good point: keep it simple. You have tapped into a potent zeitgeist here. With “Save the Kids” last season you made it easy for fans to give. We all are at times are guilty of good intentions and you made it simple for me to honor my good intentions. And your focus on Theo’s charity was perfect—clear and direct with immediate impact.

In that vein then perhaps your first suggestion to reuse the “Save the Kids” theme and model would be the easiest and would build upon fan’s memories of how great that fundraising effort was. Perhaps keep it to the whole team though—the number of goals the whole team scored over the season. Or number of wins. I would commit to a pledge amount with that model at the beginning of the season.

"I’m very happy to hear the news," Ovechkin said when he heard about Backstrom's longterm contract--"because he’s one of the top centers in the world, one of my best friends and we want to play together for a long time. He’s a guy who wants to stay in one place and be comfortable and win, just like me. We talk all the time about playing together, and we talked after the playoffs about how we can win in Washington."

by capsyoungguns on Aug 29, 2010 9:23 AM EDT reply actions  

SfK again.

RedBirdie has the mechanism ready. Kids need help and Childrens offers it. Most important to me, SfK isn’t Jose’s charity: it’s Chace’s. Are we waiving the kid? Why?

There's no 'i' in "team". But there's a 'nap' in "champion".

by redlineblue on Aug 30, 2010 3:18 PM EDT reply actions  

I don’t intend to “waive the kid”. I expect to continue to make contributions to Children’s from time to time. As a part of the Rink Rabbits’ contingent, I like the idea of supporting a Washington Capitals charity — Ted’s double bottom line, and Capitals involvement in the community, and so forth. I also appreciated the Caps Charities administration — the receipts they sent will make my record keeping a lot easier.

But my understanding was that the Capitals would keep Saves for Kids open through the summer — it wasn’t clear if it would go into next season. And since Theo’s no longer a Cap, if the Capitals don’t continue Saves for Kids, I feel like I need to try to move on. But if the Caps keep Saves for Kids open, or if another player supports Children’s, (I’m looking at you, BigHeart52) I’d have a great time following stats to come up with a contribution. Otherwise, I’ll support whichever Caps charity we follow, and make other contributions directly to Children’s.

by miseenjeu on Aug 30, 2010 11:06 PM EDT up reply actions  

and, unfortunately, Saves For Kids, at least run by the Capitals, is no longer active :( RocktheRed.net and I both confirmed this. So, basically, it came down to, do we do it independently, or do we go with a current player? The majority of what I heard was “current player” and that gives us Mike Green. I’m working on details; look for updates late this afternoon.

Watching the O’s try to use strategy is like watching Mike Green trying to figure out the difference between "your" and "you’re"--Terpgrrl
Donation info for SAVES FOR KIDS 2010!! Make a difference.

by RedBirdie on Aug 31, 2010 11:20 AM EDT up reply actions  

Ok, so as I noted, Saves For Kids, at least as run by the Capitals, isn’t active, and it seems the feeling is to stick with a Caps player charity. One of the huge advantages of this is it gives individuals 4 different ways to send their pledge in: by check or paypal to the Capitals, or by check or paypal (the dedicated account is still open) through me. It ensures that for 3 of those options, you will receive the necessary tax paperwork to deduct the donation from your taxes.

So, for 2010-2011, unless anyone has serious objections, Mike Green’s So Kids Can will be the charity of choice. I don’t know which organization he’ll be supporting, but in 2009, it was Pediatric Prosthetics, Inc., and last year the money went to Children’s to buy games and toy and re-do some of the play areas. Mike donates $100 per goal and $50 per assist, with Eliot Segal matching that.

It will work the same as last season. As we get closer to the start of the season, I will have a new fanpost up where you can post how much you’d like to pledge for each goal and/or assist, and for which games.

I’d like to propose opening up the pledges to include one or two other players (please leave suggestions!). You can decide come pledge time if you want to pledge based on Green only, two of the players, or all three. But these will be the only players who stats are tracked on the pledge spreadsheet; it got a little crazy last season trying to track two goalies, Ovie and Nicky’s stats, games Brooks Laich started, and beard-a-thon days! (docciavelli gets an exemption here) But if you want to give an additional $10 at the end of the season for every dumb hooking penalty Alex Semin takes, I’ll happily thank you for the extra donation :)

Any potential additional activities will be considered during the season once things get rolling. Right now, it’s just pledges. But if you want to start the season off right, I suggest visiting our friends at rockthered.net and checking out their store. All their profits will go to So Kids Can.

WHEW!

As always, a huge thanks to everyone. it’s not possible to do this without you rats and rabbits!

Watching the O’s try to use strategy is like watching Mike Green trying to figure out the difference between "your" and "you’re"--Terpgrrl
Donation info for SAVES FOR KIDS 2010!! Make a difference.

by RedBirdie on Aug 31, 2010 4:40 PM EDT reply actions  

eeek, forgot, I can always be contacted via e-mail. The address is in my profile.

Watching the O’s try to use strategy is like watching Mike Green trying to figure out the difference between "your" and "you’re"--Terpgrrl
Donation info for SAVES FOR KIDS 2010!! Make a difference.

by RedBirdie on Aug 31, 2010 4:40 PM EDT up reply actions  

I thought you went above and beyond in tracking everyone’s pledges. I figure we’re all grown up enough to track our own statistics, you shouldn’t have to do it for us. You can always put out a call for pledge updates once a month.

"It's always good to have vikings."

Proud member of the Oxford dictionary police.

by gfcaps fan on Aug 31, 2010 6:36 PM EDT up reply actions  

I don’t mind doing the tracking, in fact, I really enjoyed putting in the new stats after each game and seeing how much we raised. It’s just a lesson learned from last season, as to how much I can track before my head starts spinning!

Watching the O’s try to use strategy is like watching Mike Green trying to figure out the difference between "your" and "you’re"--Terpgrrl
Donation info for SAVES FOR KIDS 2010!! Make a difference.

by RedBirdie on Aug 31, 2010 11:09 PM EDT up reply actions  

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