A year ago, Nick Davalos walked into a doctor’s office wearing his Kraken hat. He was seeing a breast cancer specialist and clearly thinking about all sorts of thoughts about his diagnosis, both the health threat of cancer, of course, and the questions he would inevitably face (less than one percent of breast cancer patients are men).

“I walked into my doctor’s office and he said, ‘Do you like sports?’ There’s a guy you need to meet,” Davalos said at the Kraken Community Iceplex on Wednesday this week.

That man, Marlyn Kraft, was sitting in the Kraken player lounge with Davalos as his guest at the Kraken Unity Fund’s “Hero of the Deep” graduation ceremony. The summer event and skate party brought together last season’s “Heroes” who are making a difference in lives across the Pacific Northwest.

This past January, during the first period of a home game against Toronto, Kraft was that night’s Hero of the Depth, honored for his work on behalf of the American Cancer Society. Diagnosed in 2009 and currently in remission from breast cancer, Kraft provides rides to cancer patients in need of transportation and supportive conversation as they travel to appointments and treatments. His work grew out of a personal vow to help other men, first as a volunteer counselor for the ACS, and then as a part of the ACS “Road to Recovery” ride-hailing program.

“This is the best thing I’ve ever done (as a volunteer) because you get so much in return,” said the 74-year-old Tacoma resident. “(The patients) are all very expressive. Some of them get in the car and are a little bit bitter or angry (about their diagnosis and grueling treatments). When I tell them my story and encourage them, they say, ‘Thank you, you don’t know how much this means to me.'”

We Aim to Unite Our Community

The Kraken Unity Fund and Hero of the Deep program were launched in October 2022 to recognize “inspiring individuals who are doing extraordinary work to transform lives, build resilience, and unite our community in the Pacific Northwest,” in conjunction with the launch of Kraken’s second season. The fund was created in partnership with the One Roof Foundation, Kraken, and Starbucks, with financial support from the team’s ownership group led by David Bonderman and Samantha Holloway.

Midway through the first period of each home game, the Kraken announce a new “Hero” individual or organization, and One Roof Foundation arranges to donate $32,000 to the recipient nonprofit of the hero’s choosing. Last season, $1.3 million was awarded to the nonprofit of the honorees’ choosing.

The program will resume for a third consecutive season this fall, beginning with the opening game on October 8. Nominations from the public are welcome and accepted on an ongoing basis.

Drilling for Leadership

Others honored Wednesday included leaders of the Seattle Chinese Community Girls Education Team, a nonprofit organization for young Asian American girls that was first founded in 1952.

“We encourage leadership skills and friendships,” said Isabelle Gonn, director of the drill team collective. “The organization was founded because there was a group of girls at Garfield High School who had nowhere to go after school. In the 1950s, in Chinese culture, parents generally didn’t allow girls to go out of their homes (after school). Boys always had activities to do; girls didn’t.”

Chinese-American restaurateur and Seattle politician Ruby Chow enters the picture: “The Garfield girls wanted to do more, so they went to Ruby Chow and asked her if she could sponsor them,” says Gonn, who was part of the drill team for six years in her youth.

The team participates in “military-style marches that teach discipline and teamwork,” Gonn said. The drill team performs throughout the Pacific Northwest, including a show at MoPop this fall (the girls are taking a trip there this weekend). The “hero” award surprised Gonn and her colleagues.

“Oh my gosh, what a great reception that was at the game (against Detroit on Feb. 19),” Gonn said with a smile. “We had no idea this was going to happen. All of the money went to the team for transportation, food, and other operational expenses that we have. We’re totally honored … we’re an all-volunteer organization. It gave us a sense of, hey, we’re doing something great for the community.”

How $32,000 Can Make a Significant Difference

For many organizations, the $32,000 prize has a clear and worthy purpose (the amount that sent a nod to those who deposited 32,000 tickets on March 1, 2018, and convinced the National Hockey League to award the franchise to Seattle). That’s because many nonprofits are supported by public grants that set parameters and restrictions on how the money can be spent. Hero of the Depth funds can be used as the recipient nonprofit sees fit.

“I love that question,” says William Towey, executive director of Lake City Partners, a “Hero of the Depths” beneficiary whose mission is to help connect people in need with other organizations and government agencies that can lead to stability, recovery, and permanent housing by providing shelter and supportive services to end homelessness in North Seattle. “One of the most important things for an organization like ours is unrestricted grant funding. Most of our funding comes in the form of cost reimbursement agreements that are very specific about what you can and can’t spend your money on.”

The Kraken Unity Fund awarded the money to the trusted Lake City Partners to spend it on the most urgently needed path, which turned out to be using Lyft services to shuttle homeless people to shelters and other services. The suddenly available option was significantly more cost-effective and effective in terms of solutions than “figuring out how to do nonprofit vans,” Towey said.

“The funds help people get to a place where they can get shelter,” Towey said. “Others may need to go to medical facilities to get a Social Security card or visit government agencies to get paperwork done.”

Cycling Youth Empowerment – ​​and Joy

For Rich Brown, who was honored at the Jan. 24 game against Chicago, his nonprofit, BikeWorks, is all about bringing disadvantaged youth to a better place by bike. He loves what he does, and he changes lives every summer camp week, or on long-distance rides with young riders, or in sessions where he teaches young people how to fix and maintain bikes.

Brown has been doing this work since 1996, with a mission to “promote cycling as a vehicle for change to empower youth and build resilient communities” and to “make cycling accessible and affordable for the Seattle community.” There’s another important result: His nonprofit bike shop is keeping thousands of bikes from ending up in landfills.

All of this makes Brown feel valued, but on Wednesday night he reflected on how the Kraken Unity Fund has reinforced his positive outlook.

“When I get thanked by the young guys, I feel happy for my efforts,” said Brown, who was later seen bravely testing his skating skills in a way that could be compared to his new students balancing on two wheels for the first time. “But this special honor was when my mom came to town (from California), the Kraken and the One Roof Foundation really made it happen for us (including providing my mom with a walker and a wheelchair at the game). Now that’s why you do the work, but it brings a little bit of joy. It was a great feeling that night.”