GRAND RAPIDS, Mich — The Grand Rapids Drive, Grand Rapids Griffins, West Michigan Whitecaps and the West Michigan Sports Commission have come together to launch a community initiative to lift spirits during the pandemic.
The four organizations launched "One Team for West Michigan" Tuesday with the release of a 30-second PSA video, featuring clips of each team. West Michigan native and chief meteorologist for ABC News Ginger Zee narrates the video.
The video asks viewers to visit the One Team for West Michigan site where each sports organization has a designated charity they've chosen to support during this time, including the Children's Foundation, Heart of West Michigan United Way, Kids' Food basket, and Mary Free Bed Wheelchair and Adaptive Sports. Each charity has specific COVID-related funds or needs that fans can support.
“In the best of times, sports serve as rallying point for communities, bringing people from all walks of life together to celebrate and to work toward a common goal,” said Griffins president Tim Gortsema. “While our sports may be different, our singular goal during this crisis remains the same – being good community partners and raising funds and awareness for some amazing charities that serve our community well.”
“It’s exciting to have all three Grand Rapids teams come together to support this great cause. We’re all in the business of providing entertainment to our community and now we’ll turn our focus to supporting the West Michigan community that we all have the pleasure of calling home. We want to thank the Griffins, Whitecaps and the WMSC for partnering with us on this initiative and bringing awareness to the fantastic work these organizations do,” said Drive president Steve Jbara.
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