Deseret News — In an effort to assist the local community, the Utah Jazz and six corporate partners teamed up to provide charitable donations of cash or services worth more than $262,000 to a variety of schools and nonprofit organizations along the Wasatch Front this season.
Through the team’s player ticket donation program, Jazz players Alec Burks, Boris Diaw, Danté Exum, Rudy Gobert, Gordon Hayward, Joe Ingles and Trey Lyles, along with president Steve Starks and general manager Dennis Lindsay, purchased $115,920 worth of tickets to home games, enabling fans who might not otherwise have the opportunity or resources to attend a Jazz game.
CenturyLink presented the Utah STEM Action Center with a $10,000 donation during halftime of the April 7 game to support efforts to promote the best educational practices in math and science studies that align with industry needs and support Utah’s long-term economic prosperity.
The Jazz and CenturyLink also continued to recognize K-12 students through the STEM Excellence Award program. Six students were selected based on their excellence or significant improvement in science, technology, engineering or math, and each received two tickets to a Jazz home game, a personalized jersey and on-court recognition at Vivint Smart Home Arena.
Cyprus Credit Union pledged $50 to the Community Recreation Association for every blocked shot registered by the Jazz. A donation of $20,500 was given to the nonprofit organization for the purchase of sporting equipment.
The Jazz and Mountain America Credit Union’s “Pass It Along” program provided a total of $25,000 to five local charitable organizations: Edison Elementary, GiGi’s Playhouse Layton, Head Start, Paiute Tribe of Utah Native Youth Program and RTI-Utah Wheelin’ Wildcats. The credit union also donated $50 to the Huntsman Cancer Foundation for every 3-point shot made by a Jazz player during the 2016-17 season. The foundation was presented with $42,000 during halftime of the Jazz regular season finale on April 12.
And for every board the Jazz’s top rebounder pulled down this season, Safelite AutoGlass pledged $5 to the Utah Food Bank. A total of $4,615 was donated during halftime of the March 27 game.
The Utah Jazz and Western Governors University also teamed up to grant one year of free tuition to four students, valued at $6,000 each.
Local Ford stores donated $50 to the Utah Food Bank for every successful dunk a Utah Jazz player made during the regular season for a contribution of $20,800.
Read the original Deseret News story here.
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