ATLANTA – For a third consecutive season, the Atlanta Hawks Basketball Club and
Crown Royal joined together to honor more than 100 active and retired military
personnel and their guests at the club’s ‘Crowning Courage’ event held on
Sunday, March 10. As an expression of gratitude for their service, Hawks’ Season
Ticket Members generously donated their courtside seats to veterans and a guest
to enjoy the club’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans.
“The Atlanta Hawks, the NBA and Crown Royal are forever grateful to the real
heroes of this country,” said Hawks’ CEO Steve Koonin. “This yearly event is
just one of the ways we say ‘thank you’ for the sacrifices that both these
courageous men and women and their families have made.”
At a private pregame reception held at the arena, troops, their guests, and
season ticket members were greeted by Atlanta Hawks Owner Jami Gertz just before
a special Toast to Generosity with Stephen Wilson, Director of Whisky Engagement
for Crown Royal. Sgt. Eric Morante, United States Marine Corps, also delivered a
special keynote focused around his commitment to the sport of boxing. Also on
site was Beautyrest who hosted a raffle and donated four brand-new Beautyrest
Black mattress sets to honor the deserving veterans in attendance.
“There is no greater act of generosity than serving your country,” said Wilson.
“Crown Royal has had a long-standing tradition of supporting our brave military
men and women. From The Crown Royal Purple Bag Project in partnership with
Packages From Home to our Wall of Gratitude at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway,
it has always been imperative for us to find impactful ways to say, ‘thank you
for your service.’ Crowning Courage is about raising a glass to celebrate our
heroes and all that they’ve done to protect our freedom.”
Prior to tipoff, John Collins, Hawks’ second-year forward, whose mother served
in the United States Air Force, welcomed military personnel and their guests who
were seated courtside in a special address. The red carpet treatment for the
veterans also included customized Hawks’ jerseys that featured their military
unit number.
Throughout the game, video vignettes featuring Major Jesse Sladek, United States
Army, SMSgt Gregory Stephens, United States Air Force and Obadiah Herndon,
United States Air Force, reflected on their service. At halftime, veterans were
recognized at center court. In the arena, fans of legal drinking age stopped by
The Crown Royal Purple Bag Project Bag to pack bags with essentials to be sent
to service men and women overseas, in partnership with Packages From Home.
Throughout the day, fans posted to social media using the hashtag
#CrowningCourage to thank veterans in their lives. These posts were then
showcased inside the arena as a digital wall of gratitude.
Media Content:
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Taxonomy: Membership, Crowning Courage, Crown Royal, Jami Gertz, Hawks, NBA
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