As Seattle Sounders FC prepares to host Columbus Crew SC on Saturday, May 5, the club encourages fans to arrive early to enjoy pre-match elements surrounding GIVEBIG, Seattle Foundation’s annual campaign promoting philanthropic giving throughout the community.
Sounders FC and Seattle Foundation have partnered on GIVEBIG since the beginning of the event in 2011, working to promote the 24-hour giving period where Seattleites are encouraged to give to local nonprofits. In total, GIVEBIG has raised nearly $100 million for local Seattle charities.
GIVEBIG 2018 takes place on Wednesday, May 9 and the Rave Green have special plans to encourage giving and involvement, starting with matchday on May 5, where Sounders FC is 6-1 all-time with its GIVEBIG-themed matches.
Before the match, fans should plan to stop by The Ninety, where they can celebrate Cinco de Mayo by enjoying el Jimador “Sounderitas” and tacos by El Rinconsito while looking over Sounders FC’s trophy case and history of kits throughout the years. Proceeds from these purchases benefit RAVE Foundation, Sounders FC’s nonprofit arm, in honor of GIVEBIG 2018. Lexus is scheduled to be stationed in The Ninety with a special augmented reality hologram display. Fans can stop by to test their skills juggling a soccer ball using Lexus hologram technology.
In Occidental Park, Mariachi Fiesta Mexicana performs a free concert for fans from 10:30-11:30 a.m. PT, prior to the March to the Match.
At the team’s Soccer Celebration area in the North Plaza, 23 GIVEBIG nonprofits join the team for a nonprofit fair, giving fans a unique opportunity to learn about a number of the important charities doing work in the Puget Sound region. At the fair, fans can also vote for which nonprofit they think should win a $2,500 Dollars for Change donation from Seattle Foundation. The winning nonprofit will be announced at halftime, with the fans who selected that nonprofit receiving an autographed Sounders FC jersey.
Leading up to the match, Sounders FC players and coaching staff have all selected their own GIVEBIG nonprofits to promote, and each will be highlighted on the videoboards throughout the match and shared by the nonprofits and players through GIVEBIG Day on May 9. Fans can look to win an autographed jersey with a custom message or tickets to a future Sounders FC match by following on Twitter the various nonprofits selected by Sounders FC players and coaches.
Before kickoff, the team honors Pearl Jam lead guitarist Mike McCready with a Golden Scarf in recognition for McCready’s dedication to bettering the Seattle community. The renowned artist has been active in area community efforts for years, working especially with Treehouse, the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation and also establishing The Vitalogy Foundation with Pearl Jam in 2006 to provide grants to nonprofit organizations doing commendable work in the fields of community health, the environment, arts and education and social change. Pearl Jam is playing two shows at Safeco Field this August to shine a spotlight and raise funds to battle homelessness in Seattle, and Sounders FC chose to bestow the club’s highest honor on McCready to recognize his good work.
Following a hard-fought match at Los Angeles FC on Sunday, where Seattle dropped a 1-0 result in stoppage time, the team looks ahead to a busy stretch with three games over 10 days, beginning this Saturday hosting Columbus Crew SC (1:00 p.m. PT / JOEtv, YouTube TV, KJR 950 AM, El Rey 1360 AM). The Rave Green then hit the road for two consecutive away matches, first facing Toronto FC at BMO Field on Wednesday, May 9 before heading to Portland for the first Cascadia match of the season on Sunday, May 13 in what marks the 100th regular-season meeting all-time between the two bitter rivals.
