Stories

BB&T Ballpark will be opening its gates back up for the first game of the 2018 season on Thursday, April 12. But that doesn’t mean the Charlotte Knights organization has been idle in the offseason. In fact, they have been up to a whole lot of GOOD.

Often outshined by the excitement of the sport, the Charlotte Knights are much more than a baseball team. They are an organization of hard-workers who give back to their community in so many more ways than you may think. The Charlotte Knights even have a charitable arm solely dedicated to enriching their namesake city.

Founded when the Knights moved to Uptown in 2014, Charlotte Knights Charities has focused on engaging the community in its mission to “grow the quality of life in the Charlotte area.” Through its annual grant program, Charlotte Knights Charities has donated more than $50,000 back to local nonprofit organizations since inception – many of which are SHARE Charlotte partners!

Bikes and Turkeys and Books, Oh my!

Charlotte Knights Charities takes a hands-on approach when it comes to doing its part to better Charlotte’s community. From supplying 31 underserved kids with their first bicycles at the Kids First Bike drive last year, to putting turkeys dinners on 100 different families’ kitchen tables the week of Thanksgiving, to spending an afternoon at Montclaire Elementary reading to 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders, Charlotte Knights Charities is a prime example of an organization that understands you are never too busy to give back. Be it time, money, bikes, or turkeys.

Charlotte Knights Charities not only contribute to existing fundraising efforts, but have also created their own initiatives to raise money for the Charlotte community. Last September, the Charlotte Knights Charities kicked off what will now be an annual staple for the organization- the Uptown Rundown 5k & Fun Run. Uptown Rundown raised over $7,000 in its inaugural year, with the funds raised during the event getting poured back into the community through the Charlotte Knights Charities grant program.

And the Charlotte Knights organization knows that doing GOOD is not all about the money you have to give, but often about the respect and appreciation you have to spare. On March 29th the Knights revealed a newly installed POW/MIA stadium seat at BB&T Ballpark which will be used to honor those serving our nation’s military who have gone mission in action or have been taken as prisoners of war. The Charlotte Knights Charities invited 500 local veterans out to the unveiling of the seat where the North Carolina Military Veterans Hall of Fame conducted a POW/MIA Table Ceremony. This POW/MIA seat is a gesture to the community that everyone has a seat at the ballpark and that those who cannot physically be with us are not forgotten.

While the stands may be empty, and the players off the field, the Charlotte Knights organization does not press pause from September to March, because giving GOOD has no offseason.