First-ever ‘Tidal Shift’ gala celebration of One Roof Foundation’s work and social impact where needed most in our community raises more than a $1 million for future projects – By Bob Condor @ByBobCondor nhl.com/kraken
January 08, 2024
There was wildly generous giving and even more gratitude at the Kraken’s first annual “Tidal Shift” gala on Saturday to celebrate and raise money for One Roof Foundation.
The silent and live auctions, plus a raffle and donations exceeded all expectations with a final total of just over $1 million. The money will go to support the work of the Foundation. The philanthropic arm of the Seattle Kraken and Climate Pledge Arena has three focus areas; ending youth homelessness, advancing environmental justice, and broadening access to play.
“Every dollar supports our impact pillars,” said Mari Horita, executive director of One Roof Foundation and the Kraken’s senior vice president for government relations & social impact. “Everything we’ve built together [starting before the team had its name and the arena construction was completed] has been rooted in our commitment to do things differently and to leave a positive and lasting impact on this region and the lives of everyone in it.”
The Tidal Shift event, in partnership with Amazon and Starbucks Reserve, was certainly an example of doing things differently. The team took over the floor of Climate Pledge Arena and transformed it, both into a dining space where diners enjoyed a sustainable foods menu curated by the arena’s executive chef, Molly De Mers, and a series of experiences that included a Filson Photo Booth, a gallery showing the Kraken’s journey from inception to today and a 20-foot replica of the Amazon sphere which also served as a champagne bar.
Guests were joined by Kraken players and management alongside notable Seattleites including KJ Wright, Jamal Crawford, Lana Condor, and Pat Monahan of Grammy Award-winning rock band, Train, who performed both an acoustic set and a concert. Several players joined them on stage to close out the night in a rendition of Tom Petty’s “Free Falling.”
“We are guided by the fundamental belief that the well-being of every person is tied to the well-being of every other person,” said Horita. “Issues like homelessness, inequity of opportunity for play, and climate change are not someone else’s problem but affect all of us. We rely solely on third-party donations for doing our work. We thank you for being here – and bidding high and often.”
Horita’s final remark was lighthearted, but attendees took her seriously, and, by extension, so did Kraken fans and One Roof across the PNW and beyond. Bidding was spirited for both the silent auction and the night’s live auction.
Some sample items and winning bids: Dining on a yacht on Lake Union with the sports leadership trio of John Schneider, Jerry Dipoto, and Ron Francis went for $40k, shooting some hoops at Jamal Crawford’s home basketball court raised $45k, and the single biggest item of the night – a trip to the Kulik river in Alaska to go fishing with Grubi went for $50k.
The silent auction items included a curling date with radio play-by-play man Everett Fitzhugh ($5,400), A VIP trip to watch the Kraken play in Montreal ($15,250), the chance to be Kraken CEO of the day ($7,999), a Joey Daccord game-used blocker ($1,725) and the chance to drop the puck at the inaugural Kraken game of the 2024-25 NHL season ($5,045) among other items!
Kraken owner, Sam Holloway, who moved her family to Seattle 18 months ago, shared that “Since being here day in day out, it’s become so clear how great an organization this truly is, and how special a community Seattle really is.”
Kraken CEO Tod Leiweke was clear in his comments that the Kraken dare to be different in the sports industry, putting the One Roof mission right up there alongside winning the Stanley Cup.
“Today will be our largest amount of fundraiser for the foundation, but it’s really a way of life for us,” said Leiweke. “We’ve already raised in the silent auction hundreds of thousands of dollars. We’re going to have one of the most fun live auctions. Let’s celebrate everything great that we’ve done here together. From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you and one last shout-out. How about this team!?”
More applause, more giving, this time noise and cheers and even a few hoots from the stylish and dressed-for-the-occasion crowd the current 10-game point streak and six-game winning streak.
For more information on the foundation visit https://onerooffoundation.org/