OKLAHOMA CITY — The two sports franchises of Oklahoma City will be working together this holiday season to assist families and children dealing with poverty. Through the end of December, the Thunder and Lightning will host a series of meet-and-greets, toy drives and fundraisers in which all of the proceeds will go to local homeless shelters and orphanages.
The Lightning have only joined the OKC community this past year and want to show the citizens of its city that it cares about them and wants to help those most in need. By partnering with the Thunder, the Lightning hope to make a significant impact by expanding on the Thunder’s already successful efforts.
“This is really an opportunity to highlight an important issue that’s important to all of us at the Lightning,” general manager Vasili Dallas said. “Our fans have already shown us a great amount of support since we came to this city and we want to show them we support them as well.”
The Thunder and Lightning have set fundraising goals of $10,000 and 5,000 gifts for struggling families to give to their children for the holidays. Both teams will be hosting 50/50 raffles at their remaining home games for the rest of the calendar year and will take part in toy drives hosted at local businesses around the area.
Several high-profile players will be attending these toy drives, including Lightning wide receiver Brandin Cooks and Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook. Specific dates for these toy drives will be announced in the coming days.
“I’m excited for our players to get out into the community and show everyone the sides of them that aren’t seen on the football field,” Lightning head coach Matt Weyrich said. “These guys really care about those less fortunate and I can’t wait to see them put their heads together to make a real difference.”
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The Oklahoma City Lightning is a SCOM Fantasy Classic football team currently competing in its inaugural season. It’s the first professional football team to call Oklahoma City home. For more information, contact Matt Weyrich at weyricma@dukes.jmu.edu or visit the Fantasy Newswire at sites.jmu.edu/sportspr.