ARLINGTON, VA. – Monumental Sports & Entertainment Foundation received The Salvation Army’s Community Partner Award on Tuesday, May 13, at United in Service.
United in Service was a Salvation Army award ceremony in recognition of volunteers and community partners for their compassionate work on behalf of The Salvation Army, which assists people in need throughout the Washington, D.C., region.
The Washington Capitals, Mystics and Wizards provided The Salvation Army with volunteer and financial support throughout their 2013-14 seasons. In March 2013 Capitals players delivered meals to the homeless through The Salvation Army’s Grate Patrol program, while Monumental Sports & Entertainment staff members volunteered in The Salvation Army’s Back-to-School Shopping event at Target in Hyattsville, Md., in July. In conjunction with the Capitals and Wizards toy drives, MSE Foundation donated $10,000 to The Salvation Army National Area Command in December. The Salvation Army served as the beneficiary of both the Capitals and Wizards toy drives and was a beneficiary of the Foundation’s Family-to-Family program, through which MSE teams adopt families for the holidays. The teams also hosted bell ringers as part of The Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Campaign at home games in December.
In 2013 MSE Foundation, along with the Leonsis Foundation, donated more than $1.5 million to local charities. MSE Foundation partners in 2014 include the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington, Flashes of Hope, KaBOOM!, Playworks DC, the Potomac Valley Amateur Hockey Association and The Salvation Army.
MSE Foundation supports the charitable efforts of the professional teams under its umbrella: the Washington Capitals, Mystics and Wizards. MSE is committed to the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area and focuses on the following five pillars to maximize its impact and engagement with the community: youth basketball and hockey, education and scholarship, pediatric health and fitness, military and veterans' affairs and hunger and homelessness.
United in Service was held in conjunction of the 100th anniversary of World War I and The Salvation Army’s United War Service Program. The event was held to celebrate volunteers, to promote positive change and to discuss how to better serve veterans in the community. David Finkel, Pulitzer Prize award recipient and Washington Post journalist served as the event’s keynote speaker.
The Salvation Army National Capital Area Command assisted more than 85,000 individuals last year from families living across the Greater Washington region by providing help and hope through a diverse range of social services. The organization offers emergency eviction and utility cut-off prevention assistance; grocery, clothing and furniture vouchers; meals for the hungry and homeless; support for the disabled, elderly and ill; drug and alcohol rehabilitation; disaster relief; transitional housing for single mothers with children; and character building opportunities for youth.