41 Community Events | 980 Community Service Hours | 13,823 Youth Directly Impacted | 21,030 People Reached | 20,744+ Storm Tickets Donated
Check out our 2019 StormCares highlights:
2019
3’s for Trees
For the past eleven years, the Seattle Storm and Carter Subaru have partnered to reduce our carbon footprint through the 3’s for Trees program. For every three-pointer the Storm makes each season, Carter Subaru commits to plant one tree in the Mountains to Sound Greenway. This year, the Storm totaled 271 made threes! On Saturday, October 26, Storm Front Office staff joined other volunteers from around the area at Lake Sammamish State Park to get their hands dirty and help plant hundreds of TREE-pointers.
50/50 Raffle
During each Storm home game, one non-profit organization raises funds and awareness of its mission through raffle ticket sales to Storm fans. The total amount raised is split between the non-profit and winning ticket holder at the conclusion of the game. The Storm is honored to have participants including Dawson Place, Equal Rights Washington, Girls on the Run of Snohomish County, Oasis Youth Center, Special Olympics Washington, Swedish Cancer Institute and Transportation Choices.
Auction Donations
The Seattle Storm actively engages with hundreds of non-profits in Washington State each year by providing donations to local auctions. We have provided tickets and signed merchandise to over 700 auctions this year.
Austen Everett Foundation Honorary Captains
For the fifth year, the Storm partnered with the Austen Everett Foundation to provide Honorary Captain experiences for children battling cancer. On May 25, the Storm honored 50 courageous cancer fighters and their supportive siblings with Storm Championship rings. On August 1, the Storm hosted Sam at a Storm team practice. Although her own dreams of continuing to play basketball are over due to her treatment, nothing has stopped her from being a huge supporter of the game. Sam had the opportunity to watch practice, meet the team and shoot on court with Jewell Loyd. Sam came to the Storm’s home game against the Washington Mystics on August 2, to see her favorite players in action. To celebrate her fight, strength, and determination, Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis presented Sam with a Storm Championship ring at center court before the game.
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Basketball Camp
The 2019 StormFit Basketball Camp took place August 19-22 at Hidden Valley Field House in Bellevue. 125 boys and girls had the opportunity to learn key basketball skills and techniques from coaches over the course of four days. Local area coaches provided campers with great instruction, drills and tips on how to become better basketball players. Campers received special giveaways including basketballs, t-shirts and Storm tickets for StormFit Night on August 25. Storm players Jordin Canada and Crystal Langhorne joined the campers in some competitive basketball games, signed autograph cards and answered questions about what it’s like to play in the WNBA.
Basketball Clinics
The Storm teamed up with Kaiser Permanente to host basketball clinics throughout the greater Seattle area. Together, we offered five free clinics this season where Storm players joined participants in on-court drills and competitions. This year our clinics benefitted participants from Girls on the Run at Quil Ceda Tulalip Elementary School, Highland Park Elementary School, International District Chinatown Community Center and Special Olympics Washington.
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Breast Health Awareness Night
For the Storm’s annual Breast Health Awareness Night on Sunday, August 18, the Storm partnered with the Swedish Cancer Institute to provide education and awareness to fans with important health and screening tips. The Storm raised $25,000 for the Swedish Cancer Institute Patient Assistance Fund through various channels including an online silent auction, ticket kickback offer, 50/50 Raffle, and other monetary donations from fans.
Cocoon House Shoe Donation
The Seattle Storm donated approximately 50 pairs of new and gently used athletic shoes to Cocoon House on July 11. Shoes are a necessity but also something that can spark joy, and Cocoon House was the perfect recipient to find new homes for the shoes. The Cocoon House Outreach team works throughout the county providing emergency supplies, hygiene packs, food packs, and access to housing and local resources to young people ages 12-24.
Community Practice
The Storm and Kaiser Permanente held a free Community Practice at Tyee High School in SeaTac, WA on Tuesday, July 30. Hosted by City of SeaTac and Seattle Southside Regional Tourism Authority, this kid-friendly event gave local youth the chance to interact with their favorite Storm players up close and join in on their practice emceed by Shellie Hart. Kaiser Permanente handed out free t-shirts, basketballs, and other goodies to the first 250 people in attendance. All participants received tickets to Seattle’s home game on August 25th against the Indiana Fever in celebration of StormFit Night presented by Kaiser Permanente. The Storm and Kaiser Permanente presented an additional Community Practice at Nisqually Youth Center on May 8th.
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Community Spotlight
Non-profit organizations have the opportunity to showcase their mission, raise awareness and share work in the community through the Community Spotlight program. The Storm is honored to have participants including Alzheimer’s Association - Washington State Chapter, Basketball Education in Action, Child Care Resources, Dawson Place, Equal Rights Washington, The Everett Clinic, Girls on the Run of Puget Sound, Girls on the Run of Snohomish County, Jubilee Reach, 100 Leading Ladies of Color, NAMI Seattle, Northwest LECET, Nothing But Nets, Redefining You Foundation, Seattle Derby Brats and Transportation Choices Coalition. Community Spotlight is a favorite Fan Experience Package.
Doppler Wellness Tour
With the help of Storm mascot, Doppler, Swedish and the Storm have partnered to create the Doppler Wellness Tour. In 2019, Doppler visited four Swedish campuses to encourage patient and employee engagement. All visitors had the opportunity to take their picture with the 2018 WNBA Championship trophy and test their shooting ability in hopes of winning a free water bottle! One individual from each campus was selected to win tickets for Opening Night and a 2018 Championship hat.
ESPN National Unified Champion School – Fife High School
Fife High School was named an ESPN top five National Unified Champion School on September 6. To celebrate the leadership, inclusion and commitment to make this world a better place, the Storm and Bank of America partnered with Fife High School and Special Olympics Washington to amplify the recognition on October 2. Fife High School held an all-school assembly to raise the national banner and to celebrate this achievement. During the assembly, the Seattle Storm and Bank of America joined forces to support a Unified basketball game where athletes with and without disabilities played together. Doppler participated in a mascot dance off on court and then with help from Bank of America and Storm staff, tossed out t-shirts and other items into the student sections. To conclude the assembly, Fife High School Special Olympics athletes carried out their “National Unified Champion School” to watch it be raised to the ceiling. Before the assembly, the Storm and Bank of America joined in on all-day festivities with tables in the courtyard. Students had the opportunity to take their picture with the 2018 Championship trophy, take home a free Storm t-shirt or headband and win lots of goodies from Bank of America.
Free Throws for the Future
This season, Alaska Airlines partnered with the Seattle Storm in creating “Free Throws for the Future.” For each free throw made by a Storm player at both home and away games, Alaska Airlines would donate 2,000 airline miles to a named beneficiary up to 1,000,000 total miles. During the 2019 season, the Storm made 410 free throws for a total of 820,000 airline miles. Alaska Airlines selected City Year as the 2019 beneficiary and donated additional miles to reach 1,000,000 donated. The Storm held a pregame presentation on court at the Storm game on August 27th, as City Year kindly accepted the airlines miles and an additional $5,000 donation from the Storm.
Press Release
Healthy Living Program
For the past several years, the Seattle Storm has partnered with Seattle Public Schools to encourage students to stay active and healthy. This year, with help from Kaiser Permanente, a new goal setting program was created for all SPS K-5 students and not limited to reaching a specific fitness standard or requirement. P.E. specialists signed up during the school year before the start of the Storm season to be included in this incentive program. Teachers had the freedom to decide how to incorporate the incentive into their own classroom goals whether centered on attendance, participation or performance in specific sports or exercises. All students who completed the Healthy Living Program received two complimentary tickets to the Seattle Storm home game on June 28th vs. Chicago Sky at the University of Washington in conjunction with Teacher Appreciation Night presented by Kaiser Permanente.
Her Time to Play
The Seattle Storm held a WNBA Her Time to Play practice with the Mercer Island Lakers on the Storm’s practice court on August 29. All girls participating received a Her Time to Play t-shirt and headband. The girls went through a 90 minutes skill session to prepare for their fall basketball season. The girls worked on dribbling under control, passing to a target, shooting on the move, and live game play. Each girl shared what she was planning to improve on this season in exchange for a free basketball.
Inspiring Women
Inspiring Women Night presented by Symetra is an annual opportunity for Storm players and fans to thank those who have had an important influence on making our community strong. Inspiring Women Night took place on Friday, July 19 at 7:00 pm at Alaska Airlines Arena as the Storm battled the Las Vegas Aces. In 2019, we celebrated Amy Pak, Chris Charbonneau, LaNesha DeBardelaben and Amy Nelson as our Inspiring Women Honorees.
Press Release
International Women’s Day Captain Marvel Event
Marvel Studio’s Captain Marvel hit theaters on March 8, 2019 on International Women’s Day. In support of the #CaptainMarvelChallenge, the Storm and Swedish joined other partners to host a free screening of Marvel’s first female-led superhero movie on its opening night for over 250 girls and women from the local community. Girls were invited from the Edmonds School District, Girls on the Run of Snohomish County and Puget Sound and YWCA. Before the movie, a panel of prominent women leaders including Storm Co-Owner Dawn Trudeau discussed women’s empowerment and their aspirations for the future. Each girl received a free drink and popcorn to enjoy during the movie as well as two tickets to the 2019 Storm Opening Day game presented by Swedish on May 25. Storm mascot Doppler also made an appearance as the girls entered the theater to get them excited for the show.
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NBA Math Hoops Championship Tournament
On February 28, several members of local Boys and Girls Clubs participated in the NBA Math Hoops Winter Championship Tournament at Rainier Vista Boys and Girls Club. NBA Math Hoops is a fast-paced basketball board game, curriculum, and community program that allows students to learn fundamental math skills through direct engagement with the real statistics of their favorite NBA and WNBA players. These participants proved to be the best at their local club, playing after school during the fall and winter as part of Power Hour to encourage at least 20 minutes of reading, writing, and mathematics each day. During the tournament, the kids competed in pairs to establish the Seattle winter champions. This year’s winners were from Ballard Boys and Girls Club.
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Pint for Pint
The Seattle Storm teamed up with Bloodworks Northwest and San Juan Seltzer to save lives this summer! As the sponsors of the Happy Hour “Pint for Pint” promotion, all individuals that donated blood through August 4, received two free tickets to a Happy Hour game and a voucher for a San Juan Seltzer at the game. This offer was available through any Washington State Bloodworks Northwest Donor Center. Post donation, donors received a confirmation email with a link to claim their tickets. Happy Hour takes place on Thursday and Friday night games, from the time doors open until tip-off. The Storm hosted seven Happy Hour games during the 2019 season.
Press Release
Pride
The Seattle Storm welcomes diversity, equality and inclusion and uses Pride Night as a platform to support the LGBTQ community and allies. From rainbow thunderstix to activation in the annual Pride Picnic and Pride Parade, the Storm is proud to be active and supportive throughout the community. We felt the love at the 2019 Pride Night presented by AT&T on Sunday, June 30. Thank you to all the fans that kept the celebration going and joined us at the game, following the Seattle Pride Parade. The game featured a variety of special giveaways and celebrations such as special Pride tote bags, Pride merchandise and a halftime performance from Betty Wetter.
Press Release
Seattle Children’s Toy Drive
The Storm hosted its Toy Drive supported by Lime, benefiting Seattle Children’s Hospital on Friday, July 19. Forward Alysha Clark has spearheaded the team’s Toy Drive efforts for the past five years and regularly visits Seattle Children’s during the season. She encouraged fans to donate toys for the children who find themselves away from their homes for long extended periods of time during medical care. Along with the donations from fans and Clark, the Storm teamed up with Lime again this season, who donated Lime bike helmets to distribute to kids at the hospital. The 2019 drive was a huge success, thanks to Storm fans who donated over 2,000 new toys. Alysha Clark and Jewell Loyd delivered the toys to Seattle Children’s Hospital on August 1.
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Special Olympics Free Throw Challenge
For the second consecutive year, the Storm and Kaiser Permanente worked together to raise money for Special Olympics Washington. At five games this season, unified pairs took the court and each attempted to make a free throw in :45 seconds. If both contestants made their free throw, Kaiser Permanente donated $1,500 to Special Olympics Washington. Over the course of the 2019 season, all five unified pairs made their free throws, contributing to a $7,500 donation from Kaiser Permanente benefiting Special Olympics Washington and their programs.
Special Olympics Night
The Seattle Storm partnered with Bank of America to encourage inclusion and equality for all through the game of basketball. For the second straight year, Bank of America was the presenting partner of the Storm’s Special Olympics Night, dedicated to recognizing the accomplishments of Special Olympics Washington athletes. The game took place on Friday, July 12 vs. the Dallas Wings. SOWA athletes were invited to a private pregame reception with Bank of America featuring a panel of 2019 World Games bronze medalists. Moderated by President and CEO of Special Olympics Washington Dave Lenox, “Victory Lap” celebrated the achievements of these powerful athletes and allowed them to share their stories from a firsthand perspective. Following the reception, the 2019 World Games soccer and swimming bronze medalists formed a fan tunnel as the Storm players took the court, giving lots of high fives. Halftime featured a game played by the Puyallup Vikings Masters Unified basketball team. Coached by Danny Fowler, the Vikings have played together for over a decade and have become one of the top teams in the Washington State Masters Unified Division.
Press Release
Special Olympics Washington 2019 World Games Send-off
This year, Special Olympics Washington sent 21 athletes to compete at the 2019 Special Olympics World Games in Abu Dhabi. The night before flying to Abu Dhabi, the athletes received a festive surprise send-off at a hotel near Sea-Tac Airport. The athletes thought they were simply headed to dinner the night before their trip, but were surprised by Storm mascot Doppler and staff from Bank of America and the Storm hosting a Send-off Party! All athletes received cards wishing them good luck and participated in a press conference previewing their upcoming competition.
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Staff Volunteer Work
Our commitment to the community goes well beyond the basketball arena. On Tuesday, December 10, the Storm Front Office volunteered at Wellspring Family Services, a nonprofit, multi-service agency serving low-income and vulnerable individuals, children and families in Seattle and King County. As a group, the Storm and Swedish sorted, restocked and organized the Teen Closet, Baby Boutique and Toy and Book Room. Staff also made holiday decorations and transformed the lobby and entry way for upcoming holiday festivities and tidied up the outside, picking up litter and leaves. The Storm and Swedish ended the day donating $5,000 to Wellspring Family Services.
Storm Into College
For the fourth consecutive year, the Storm celebrated higher education through “Storm into College” Night at Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett on Tuesday, June 4. Middle and high school students had the opportunity to join the Storm at their game vs. Minnesota Lynx to learn more about their options for higher education. Participating students engaged in a College Fair and met local university admission representatives from several Pacific Northwest colleges and universities. Students also interacted with a panel of Storm Front Office employees and basketball staff such as Assistant Coach Noelle Quinn and Assistant General Manager Talisa Rhea as they discussed how education led them to their current career paths.
Storm Math Hoops Live Event
On Wednesday, August 21 the Storm and Learn Fresh Education Co. partnered for a Live “Storm Math Hoops” Event at Seattle Pacific University. To celebrate a great summer of playing the NBA Math Hoops board game during Summer Brain Gain and Power Hour at their local Boys and Girls Clubs, 30 participants from Rotary, Rainier Vista, and Southwest Boys and Girls Clubs traveled to the Storm practice court. Storm players Sami Whitcomb and Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis were partnered with the students who each took their turn at rolling dice, computing mathematical calculations and selecting the spot for the Storm player to shoot from. This was a fun twist on the board game as kids got to cheer on Storm players shooting from designated spots on the court instead of using stats and probability with individual player cards to check their odds of scoring. The event was emceed by Calvin Sibert, Chief Academic Officer at Learn Fresh Education Co. Kaleena’s team outscored Sami’s team to send the victory home with participants from Rotary and Rainier Vista. The event concluded with a Q&A session for the kids. Every kid received an autograph from both players and a voucher to come to an upcoming Storm game.
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StormAcademy Session: AT&T and Girls Who Code
On Sunday, August 18, the Seattle Storm and AT&T partnered with Girls Who Code to host 10 girls and their families at a special StormAcademy session at Alaska Airlines Arena. These girls from the Seattle branch of Girls Who Code celebrated the conclusion of their summer program with a behind the scenes look at what goes into the production and broadcast of a Seattle Storm game. The session started with an arena tour including stops with the Director of Gameday Experience & broadcast truck crew, where respective team members talked to the group about their careers and their roles in the full production of a Storm game. Following the arena tour, the group heard from Storm speakers including CEO and General Manager Alisha Valavanis, Owner Lisa Brummel and Assistant General Manager Talisa Rhea. They also received insight from the developer of the StormApp. The evening concluded with the girls cheering on the Seattle Storm as they defeated the Minnesota Lynx.
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StormAcademy Session: CenturyLink and Pacific Science Center
On Saturday, November 16, the Seattle Storm and CenturyLink partnered to host 50 girls from Children’s Home Society of Washington, Boys & Girls Club of Sequim and iDayDream at a StormAcademy session at the Pacific Science Center. The group tried out Virtual Reality and explored various exhibits throughout the museum including Body Works, Science Playground, outdoor water exhibits and Dinosaurs Through Time. The girls also explored the solar system in the interactive Planetarium and engaged in the Live Science stage show, learning about sound and how sound waves travel. During the session, the girls heard from influential women role models including CenturyLink’s Vice President of Operations and General Manager for Washington, Sue Anderson, and the Storm’s Manager of Public Relations, Riley Foreman. Both women shared insight on their careers and discussed the various types of careers the girls could explore with a future in STEM.
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StormAcademy Session: Museum of Flight
The Seattle Storm and Alaska Airlines partnered to provide a leadership session on Tuesday, August 20 at the Museum of Flight with 50 girls from the local community. The girls from local Boys and Girls Clubs and Children’s Home Society of Washington were encouraged to become powerful leaders and explore careers in STEM and aviation through a series of workshops. The girls spent time touring the Museum of Flight and were given the opportunity to think like a pilot in the Alaska Learning Center. The session concluded with strong women leaders from Alaska Airlines and Storm player Blake Dietrick empowering the girls to follow their passions and explore STEM fields.
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StormAcademy Session: Swedish Medical Center
For the fourth consecutive season, the Seattle Storm and Swedish partnered to provide a girls-focused leadership and career session at Swedish Medical Center Cherry Hill on Wednesday, July 31 with 30 girls from the local community. These girls participated in leadership activities, bystander CPR training, Seattle University Simulation Lab, and heard from speakers in the medical field about their career journey. In the simulation lab, the girls were instructed how to properly wrap wounds, measure heart rate and wash their hands to eliminate germs. The participants also met Storm player Alysha Clark, and asked her questions about her journey to the WNBA.
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StormAcademy Session: SSC Women’s Leadership Breakfast and Pacific Science Center
On October 23, the Seattle Storm and AT&T partnered with After-School All-Stars Puget Sound to host 20 girls from Meeker Middle School at a special StormAcademy session. These girls attended the Seattle Sports Commission Women’s Leadership Breakfast to hear stories from powerful women leaders and gain exposure into networking and mentorship. Following the breakfast, the group traveled to the Pacific Science Center where they explored the solar system in the interactive Planetarium and Virtual Reality. Following the tour of the center, the girls heard from two influential woman role models, AT&T’s Aracely Cuadra and Storm's Alisha Valavanis.
StormAcademy Session: Symetra
In the first year of partnership, the Seattle Storm and Symetra collaborated to provide a powerful educational session for 45 girls from the Boys and Girls Club of Bellevue, Girl Scouts of Western Washington, Girls on the Run of Puget Sound, Treehouse and Youth Eastside Services on Thursday, August 29 at Crossroads Community Center. To begin the session, the girls engaged with a panel of women leaders in the community including Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best, Senator Rebecca Saldana and Manpreet Kaur. The girls participated in mindfulness activities including a canvas painting class and instructor-led yoga. Storm All-Star guard Sue Bird joined the girls in leadership and team building activities, answered questions and signed autographs for all participants. Each girl went home with their very own yoga mat and a new backpack for the upcoming school year.
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StormFit Night
For the past five years, the Storm and Kaiser Permanente have presented an evening promoting health and wellness. This year, StormFit Night took place on Sunday, August 25 as the Storm took on the Indiana Fever. In addition to attending an exciting Storm home game, kids had the opportunity to take photos in the Thrive Photobooth, participate in a fitness-inspired contest during halftime and receive cool giveaways including a Storm team poster at the door. The Storm also honored all Kaiser Permanente Sportsmanship Award Winners from the 2019 StormFit clinic series. These individuals were honored on court pregame.
Summer Reading Program
This was the Storm’s fourth year partnering with the King County Library System and second year joining forces with the Pierce County Library System in support of their long-standing summer reading programs. New for 2019, the Storm expanded its reach north and also partnered with Sno-Isle Libraries and the Everett Public Library to encourage summer reading for all kids and teens. By providing complimentary tickets as an incentive to reach reading milestones and commit to reading over the summer, the Storm motivated thousands of children to focus some of their free time in the summer on reading, learning and sparking their imagination through literature. In 2019, the Storm donated over 10,430 tickets to children and teens to congratulate them for their summer reading accomplishment. Join our community of readers next summer to get in on the fun!
Teacher Appreciation Night
The Seattle Storm celebrated Teacher Appreciation Night presented by Kaiser Permanente on June 28th as a night of culmination, celebrating the great work of all local area instructors and administration over the 2019 school year and the beginning of summer for students. Kaiser Permanente provided giveaways, music, raffle prizes and face painting for all on the plaza before entering the arena for the game. Inside the arena, there was a “Relax and Recharge” station where teachers could get a quick massage and a photo booth where students and teachers could take photos throughout the game. The Storm and Kaiser Permanente are proud to partner with Seattle Public Schools in offering the Healthy Living Program. Furthering a longstanding commitment to youth wellness, the Seattle Storm and Kaiser Permanente designed this program to help teachers reward students for achieving goals and expanding social emotional learning in the process. All eligible students and teachers received a pair of Storm tickets to Teacher Appreciation Night.
Tickets for Kids
Through the Tickets for Kids program, the Seattle Storm partnered with businesses, individuals and organizations to provide young girls and boys the opportunity to experience the highest level of women’s basketball in the world – free of charge. During the 2019 season, Denali Advanced Integration hosted over 20 non-profit groups in the Birds Nest. In addition to smaller donations, 2019 partners featured Alaska Airlines, Swedish, Symetra and MTR Western.
Urban Games 2019
The Seattle Storm participated in Urban Games 2019 at Garfield Community Center for a fun free day of sports, health and wellness with lots of active youngsters on Saturday, June 29. All kids and families who visited the Storm table received a free headband, autographed Storm player cards, had the opportunity to enter-to-win Storm tickets and memorabilia such as a signed basketball, shoe and championship ring, and learned more about our current 2019 season. The Storm also held dribbling and shooting competitions for youth participating and gave out free t-shirts and basketballs to those that participated.
Vishal’s Court
On March 18, Doppler made a surprise visit to see members of Northwest’s Child, Aaron’s Place, a center for adults with special needs. Students and staff gathered on the backyard lawn to dedicate their new basketball court to one of their most beloved members, Vishal Saraiya, who passed away in 2014. Vishal absolutely loved sports, especially his home team, the Seattle Storm and Sue Bird. In honor of Vishal’s love for basketball, and to spread the joy it brought him, Northwest’s Child installed a basketball court in the backyard of its North Seattle location.
Washington Business Week
The Storm and Swedish partnered with Washington Business Week to support their Professional Development Summer Program at Seattle University from July 28 through August 2. To encourage all interested students in registering for the program, the Storm provided a contribution of $5,000 to help with scholarships for high school students to attend the camp, regardless of their financial situation. The Storm also provided programming and speakers for two (2) sessions at the Washington Business Week Summer Session. On Tuesday, July 30, Alisha Valavanis joined 15-20 student CEOs to take part in the CEO Lunch. Later that day, Storm guard Sami Whitcomb engaged with all 200 campers and shared about her career journey, leadership, adversity and answered questions for all campers. All students and staff received special Swedish and Storm-branded t-shirts and a voucher to attend an upcoming Storm game.