COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER SPRING 2025

This season, the South Carolina Stingrays have been making a meaningful impact in the community! Through the dedication of Stingrays players, front office staff, and Cool Ray, the team has collectively contributed over 1,000 hours of service to various community initiatives.

The Stingrays players made an incredible impact this season, attending over 60 events and dedicating more than 375 hours to the community! Following the Giving Tuesday newsletter, the players spent much of December spreading holiday cheer. From visiting children at MUSC Shawn Jenkins Hospital  to personally calling season ticket holders to wish them a Merry Christmas, our players were eager to give back and make the season brighter for all.

After the holidays, the players kicked off the new year with a series of visits to local schools for our Reading Buddies program supported by Neal Brothers  and the Floor Hockey program supported by BlueCross BlueShield. Through these initiatives, our players had the opportunity to visit over 20 schools this season across the Charleston, Dorchester and Berkeley County districts, reading with students and teaching the kids about floor hockey.

In addition to these programs, the players took part in several special events that had a meaningful impact on the community. In December, a few of our players visited the North Charleston Performing Arts Center to help pack bags for underprivileged families in collaboration with the Salvation Army. The teddy bears included in some of the bags were collected during our Teddy Bear Toss game just weeks earlier, adding a personal touch to the donation.

 In January, #35 Seth Eisele and #5 Austin Magera, alongside the Landon Strong Foundation, visited MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital to spend time coloring and conversing with children before their treatments. Some of these brave kids even helped design our Coloring for a Cure jersey, making the experience even more meaningful.

Finally, in March, six of our players visited Riverfront Park to collaborate with Rink2Reef and Neal Brothers. During this event, the players learned about the vital role oysters play in maintaining healthy waterways. As part of the initiative, they helped build oyster reefs using broken hockey sticks collected during our earlier Broken Stick Drive, making the project even more special and impactful.

While the players were hard at work, so was our beloved mascot, Cool Ray! Since January, Cool Ray has attended over 25 community events, bringing his signature energy and joy wherever he goes. While he enjoys every event, there were a few that were particularly close to his heart. He had a blast at the Lowcountry Oyster Festival in February, helped Charleston Media Group’s Radiothon benefitting MUSC Health, cycled for a cause at Pattison’s Academy, and, of course, celebrated his good friend Bucky’s birthday at CSU.

The players and Cool Ray weren't the only ones making a difference in the community! Our front office staff has also been actively volunteering around town. In December, the entire team lent a hand with the Salvation Army to help pack essential items and toys for families in North Charleston. A few weeks later, two staff members traveled to Summerville to collaborate with Habitat for Humanity and SERVPRO, helping prepare a home for a family to move into. Most recently, in March and April, our front office team participated in several career fairs around Charleston, speaking with children about what it's like to work in the sports industry and inspiring the next generation.

Throughout the season, the Stingrays organization has had the privilege of launching several new community initiatives. At the start of the season, we introduced Players with a Purpose, an initiative that allows fans to purchase tickets through a special link, with a portion of the proceeds going to a cause chosen by the players.

We also rolled out our Backpack Program in partnership with BlueCross BlueShield. Throughout the season, Stingrays players, coaches, and Cool Ray have helped distribute 200 backpacks filled with essential supplies to Title 1 schools and low-income families. During one of the distributions, Assistant Coach Scott Davidson not only handed out backpacks but also surprised a grade with tickets to our Education Day game, making the experience even more memorable for the students.

Finally, we were thrilled to introduce our NHL Street program! We’re so excited to have launched this initiative this season. The first two clinics have been filled with learning, growth, and plenty of fun, and we can’t wait for what’s to come. Our goal is to continue expanding this program and introduce the joy of hockey to even more people in the Charleston area.

While the new initiatives have been a wonderful addition, one program we’re especially proud to continue is our Community Assist of the Game! At each home game, our owner, Todd Halloran, donates $1,993 (in honor of the Stingrays' founding year) to a local non-profit organization. Since December 3rd, we’ve had the privilege of supporting the following organizations:

1. Charleston Concert Band
2. Ronald McDonald House
3. Bundles of Joy
4. Charleston Warriors Sled Hockey
5. Redux Contemporary Art Center
6. Leveling the Fields
7. Lowcountry Veterans
8. Landmark for Families 
9. Warriors Haven 
10. The Boon Project 
11. Meals on Wheels Summerville
12. Charleston Pro Bono Legal Services
13. Girls on the Run 
14. Bless our Heart 
15. HALOS
16. Faith Christian School Athletic Booster Club 
17. Carolina Children’s Charity 
18. Towns4Troops 
19. South Carolina Transplant Foundation
20. North Charleston POPS! Kids
21. Just Bee
22. Charleston Jazz
23. Water Mission 
24. Folds of Honor 
25. Lowcountry Youth 
26. St. Andrew’s Parks Legacy Foundation 
27. Camp Rise Above 

None of these initiatives and events would be possible without your incredible support. We want to extend a heartfelt thank you to all of our Stingrays fans for your unwavering dedication throughout the year. Being part of this community is at the heart of who we are, and you are an essential part of it. We’re excited to see what we can achieve together in the coming season!