Devils Raise Over $100K to Face-Off Against Homelessness

NEWARK, NJ – In an effort to raise awareness and funds for the homeless youth across the country, approximately 120 New Jersey Devils employees and hockey fans braved the elements with subfreezing temperatures on Saturday evening on Championship Plaza at the Prudential Center as they got a first-hand experience of what it’s like to live on the streets.

The ‘sleep out’ was a collaborated partnership between the Devils organization, the Prudential Center and Covenant House New Jersey, the nation’s largest privately funded agency serving homeless, runaway and at-risk youth. Together, more than $130,000 was raised towards combatting homelessness in New Jersey and across the country.

It’s an initiative that was 10 months in the making, Devils and Prudential Center Vice President of Community Investment Jeff Scott said at the panel discussion prior to the ‘sleep out.’

“This is an opportunity to leverage the power of sports and entertainment with our fan base to get a better understanding of what’s happening in our community and how they can be more than just a fan, but investors in our community as much as they’re investors in our sport,” Scott explained while outlining the charitable work Covenant House provides. “Once were successful at merging those two bodies together, we’ll start seeing some changes in our community and that’s what’s most important.”

Two employees of the Prudential Center – Ashley and Brett – told the participants the stories of their inspiring journeys of being homeless and how they credited Covenant House New Jersey to getting them on their feet. Now, both are valued employees of the Prudential Center and are living independently. They are just a few of the tens of thousands of success stories that the Covenant House is responsible for over the better part of the last three decades.

Among those who participated in the ‘sleep out’ was Hugh Weber, president of Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment, the ownership group of the Devils.

“We like to think of the Prudential Center as the Town Square for New Jersey, so anything that’s important in our community we want to highlight and potentially make a difference people’s lives,” Weber said before participating in the sleep out. “The fact that one person might go to bed tonight without a home is one person too many. So tonight is about engaging our fans, bringing awareness, raising money – all of which will have a great impact on the lives of people in the future.”

“Hopefully put this world in the position where at some point we won’t have to worry about people not having a home to sleep in at night,” Weber added.

In addition to the ‘sleep out’ initiative, Devils forward Miles Wood announced at the panel discussion that he teamed up with Warrior Hockey and New Balance to donate 100 shoes to the homeless community in New Jersey.

“I wanted to give back to the community since the fans over the years,” Wood explained. “I thought this was a perfect time to share my gift.”

Today there are 30 Covenant House locations in the United States, Canada and Latin America serving more than 50,000 homeless young people each year. With the success of the first-ever ‘sleep out’ program at the Prudential Center, team officials anticipate that this may become an annual event as they have high hopes for next year.

Photos by Sean Conklin