The Griffins are nearly as busy off the ice as on it over the course of their 80-game season. Here are just a few of the ways in which the team, its fans and its players - both past and present - are helping make West Michigan a better place to live.


Save The Dates

All kids are invited to participate in Stick with Reading, presented by Comcast and Barnes & Noble. On select Monday nights, a Griffins player will read from a selection of favorite children's books from 7-8 p.m. at a Barnes & Noble location:

Rivertown Crossings Mall (Grandville) - Dec. 5, Jan. 23, Feb. 20
3670 28th St. SE (Kentwood) - Jan. 9, Feb. 6, March 6


How do you get a Griffins player off your porch? Pay him for the pizza. The Delivering the Dough promotion features three Griffins players delivering pizzas on each of three Monday evenings to raise money for charity: Dec. 12, Jan. 23 and March 20. Players will accompany Peppino’s Pizza delivery drivers from 6-8 p.m. each night, with Peppino’s donating a percentage of sales to charity.



The Great Skate, which debuted in 2002, is a 24-hour ice skating marathon held at the outdoor Rosa Parks Ice Rink in downtown Grand Rapids. Each of the last three seasons, every Griffins player and coach has skated for at least one hour around the clock, joined by hundreds of fans during this heart-warming event. Proceeds from this season’s event, presented by Comcast on Jan. 14-15, will once again benefit the Grand Rapids Griffins Youth Foundation.

---

As part of the celebration of the Griffins’ 10th Anniversary season, an Alumni Association has been established to allow players of the past to give back to our community through cash donations and special fundraisers.

At several home games during the 2005-06 season, some of the most popular players in franchise history will be re-introduced through the Griffins Alumni Association Jersey Raffle, as they've donated autographed jerseys from their current teams for this cause.

50% of the proceeds from the jersey raffles will be used to provide tickets to local non-profits, while 25% will go to the Griffins Youth Foundation and the other 25% to a charity of the players’ choice.

More information can be obtained from the booster club table on the north concourse during Griffins home games. The dates for the remaining jersey raffles are:

Saturday, Dec. 31 - Marc Lamothe (Cherepovets Severstal - Russia)
Saturday, Jan. 14 - Joel Kwiatkowski (Florida Panthers)
Saturday, Feb. 11 - Chris Neil (Ottawa Senators)
Saturday, March 18 - Wade Brookbank (Vancouver Canucks)
Saturday, April 15 - Niklas Kronwall (Detroit Red Wings)

---

Players’ wives and girlfriends – known as the Better Halves - team up to assist the Griffins in their community endeavors, primarily through the coordination of several charitable drives throughout the season. Earlier this fall, the “Pucks for Plates” event raised $775, providing 155 meals for Guiding Light Mission.

Now, the annual “Griffins Christmas Tree” event is underway. During the home games on Dec. 3, 7 and 10, you’re invited to visit the Better Halves table on the concourse to check out this unique tannenbaum, decorated with autographed ornaments representing each Griffins player.

Raffle tickets can be purchased at the price of one for $3 or two for $5. The winning ticket will be drawn at the Dec. 10 game versus the Cleveland Barons, when someone will walk away with the decorated tree! All proceeds will go toward purchasing gifts that will be presented by the Better Halves to "The Santa Claus Girls" organization, to see that no child is without a gift on Christmas morning.

---

DeVos Children’s Hospital patients and their families are enjoying the fun and action of Griffins hockey this season, courtesy of defenseman Bryan Helmer.

He established the Helmer’s Heroes program to express his and his wife’s gratitude for the efforts of the hospital’s staff last summer, when their newborn daughter required serious medical attention.

Now, other brave kids in the hospital’s care attend each game and get the opportunity to meet Helmer afterwards.

For more information on Helmer’s Heroes, check out this story from the Grand Rapids Press.

Thanks, Bryan, for your support of these incredible children!

---

Local companies have again teamed up with Griffins players through the Charitable Goals program to help raise money for a variety of worthwhile charities. Every time the player scores a goal or records a point, the company donates $50 or $100 towards a mutually agreed upon charity.

The players' performances and the sponsors' generosity have already raised $3,750 in donations:

Matt Ellis and Lighthouse Insurance - $50 per goal to the American Red Cross ($250)
Bryan Helmer and Priority Mortgage - $100 per point to the Humane Society ($1,300)
Travis Richards and TMB Industries - $50 per point to St. John’s Home ($100)
Donald MacLean and GM Companies - $100 per goal to Straight Elementary School ($900)
Eric Manlow and Dean Foods - $50 per goal to the Muscular Dystrophy Association ($450)
Derek Meech and Centennial Securities - $50 per point to the Pursuing a Dream Foundation ($400)
Darryl Bootland and Afendoulis Cleaners - $50 per goal to Lainies Angels ($300)
Eric Himelfarb and Comcast - $50 per goal to United Way ($50)

---

The Griffins and DeVos Children's Hospital congratulate all the Michigan kids who made a pledge to always wear their helmet this summer through the Put A Lid On It (PALOI) helmet safety program.

More than 350 kids from 34 communities - all the way from Alpena to Zeeland - received a pair of Griffins tickets for making their pledge, while another 400 kids received tickets from local police officers who spotted them wearing their helmets.

One of those kids - Jessica Hamilton from Cedar Springs - also won a new bike, courtesy of Chicago Drive Cycling. She'll receive her bike during a presentation at the Dec. 10 game against Cleveland.