Flames D TRAVIS HAMONIC and his wife STEPHANIE last week launched their third charity initiative, Charlie’s Children, a program that was inspired by the the birth of their daughter in May and "will provide car-seats, cribs, strollers and other must-haves for low-income families or single parents who are expecting a newborn." The Hamonics are "funding the initiative out of their own pockets, with the Flames Foundation matching their contribution in full." Through his D-Partner Program, Hamonic "connects with kids who have lost a parent at a young age, as he did." Hamonic also introduced The Northern Project last season, "footing the bill for Indigenous youngsters from Canada’s Territories to travel to Calgary to witness a game" (CALGARYSUN.com, 11/21).
LENDING A HELPING HAND: Packers QB AARON RODGERS is donating $1M to "help Californians recover from the devastating Camp Fire." Rodgers, a Chico, Calif. native, "tweeted a video Wednesday morning and solicited contributions from others." Rodgers said that he "reached out to his friends and the mayor of Chico and was told raising money for immediate needs and long term recovery was needed now." Rodgers said that he was donating the money "toward the recovery and eventual rebuilding of the communities affected by the fire." Rodgers also said that State Farm Insurance "would donate $1 for every retweet of his post, up to $1 million, toward the recovery effort" (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 11/22).
SEASON OF GIVING: Cowboys RB EZEKIEL ELLIOTT celebrated a touchdown on Thursday by "taking $21 from a staffer, and dropping it in" the Salvation Army Kettle behind one of the AT&T Stadium end zones, and Elliott has now "reached an agreement with The Salvation Army, one that includes him matching every $21 gift to the Red Kettle Campaign." The Cowboys "will match each gift for a total of $42,000 ($21,000 from Elliott and from the Cowboys)" (NFL.com, 11/25).
