Rizzs helps spread holiday cheer with charity gala
This story was excerpted from Daniel Kramer’s Mariners Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
SEATTLE -- Mariners radio voice Rick Rizzs is back to channeling his alter ego of Santa Claus this winter, leading the efforts ahead of the holiday season for Toys For Kids, the foundation he and former Mariners center fielder Dave Henderson founded in 1995.
TFK recently hit a massive benchmark, raising $1.08 million at its annual Nutcracker Winter Gala on Nov. 4, which drew 643 attendees, featured inspiring stories, a silent auction, live auction and more. That level of fundraising will help the organization purchase and distribute gifts to underprivileged children in Washington state at new heights. Last year, TFK raised roughly $900,000, which was its most in a single year to that point.
Mariners players on hand for the event included J.P. Crawford, Marco Gonzales, Tayler Saucedo and Casey Sadler, along with manager Scott Servais.
“These kids and their moms sometimes don’t have anything at all,” Rizzs said. “They have to get out of a very difficult situation, sometimes with just the clothes on their backs, to get into a safe place. To be able to see them get back on their feet and get that toy that they wanted, which there’s probably a pretty good chance that they weren’t, and for us to be able to be there for their moms to play the role of Santa Claus and give them a little hope that life is going to get better.”
Among the largest donations was one for $250,000 from OneEighty Foundation, which provides grants to nonprofit organizations that immediately impact the lives of children and families in the Seattle area -- specifically to a new TFK program, Rick’s Locker, which is geared toward youth sports.
Specifically, Rick’s Locker will help with registration fees, uniforms, equipment and other items that can become costly barriers to participation. The money will be distributed over five years at $50,000 per year.
“We're going to go out, find these kids, make sure that they have a baseball bat or a glove or catchers’ equipment, and for little girls to have a chance to have the same thing,” Rizzs said. “Whatever they need.”
The presentation featured Crawford bursting into the ballroom carrying the Mariners’ celebratory home run trident, followed by OneEighty members Dan Madsen and Mark Fremmerlid, who held the massive check cloaked in wrapping paper.
“It just floored me; I almost fell down,” said Rizzs, who mentioned his ambition to do so six months prior with Madsen and Fremmerlid over coffee. “It wasn’t part of the script or anything, I’m up emceeing the show. I had no idea. They had this check wrapped up like a Christmas present.”
In the immediate, the gala paved way for the holiday toy rush. TFK works with over 30 shelters for people experiencing homelessness in the Seattle area, way up from the roughly 10 when it first started. Rizzs estimates that it impacts over 17,000 children per holiday season.
In the “old days,” as Rizzs said, he would venture to Toys R Us with players like Jay Buhner and Dan Wilson, along with volunteers from the agencies, and do most of the shopping in one fell swoop of an afternoon. Now, with TFK reaching new heights, the organization streamlines the process with help from Amazon.
“Now it’s time to play Santa Claus, which I love,” Rizzs said. “We get as much joy as the kids who get the presents from Santa Claus.”
Toys for Kids is a year-round initiative that collaborates on other programs, such as:
- Back to School!: A late-summer gathering that provides school children with essential supplies they need, such as backpacks, pens, paper or other basic supplies.
- F.L.Y. -- First Love Yourself: The organization partners with a local hair salon to give parents who are survivors of domestic violence and residents of homeless shelters a day to feel special and spread their wings. They are treated to haircuts, manicures, and even get their makeup done by Hologram Beauty.
- Holiday parties: Aided by fundraisers through sponsors and individual donors, Toys for Kids helps ensure that Santa Claus arrives at various stops during the holidays.
- Hot lunches: The organization helps provide nutritious meals for children during the school year for those on free and/or reduced-priced meals.
- Teddy bear program: Along with Murano Senior Living, TFK provides hospitalized children a cuddly companion to ease their stay and bring a soothing sense of security.
- Scholarships: A $5,000 academic scholarship for high school seniors for tuition and books, recognizing Washington state students that exemplify the high standards and commitment to the community that Henderson believed in.