Royals to Host ‘Tanski Talks’ Mental Wellness Fundraising Effort This Friday

March 21, 2016/in News /by mthompson

Reading, PA – The Reading Royals of the ECHL today announced that the team will host a fund-raising effort to benefit mental wellness and, specifically, the Greater Reading Mental Health Alliance as a part of the events associated with the team’s matchup against the Manchester Monarchs this Friday (March 25 @ 7:00 pm) at Santander Arena in Reading.

The promotion, “Open Minds, Eyes and Doors for Youth through Communication,” will raise funds for the GRMHA through several avenues including the donation of a portion of every ticket purchased for Friday’s game through a specific link established by the Royals, https://royals.isportstix.com/order/group/tanskitalks/  . Everyone who purchases tickets through this link will be invited to a special post game meet and greet and autograph session with Royals’ forward Scott Tanski. The team will also host a Fifty-Fifty raffle during the game, as well as raffle off gift baskets chalked full of exciting gifts.

“Our primary goal is to increase awareness around the issue of mental wellness—particularly for young people in our community,” said Tanski. “This is an issue that I’ve previously worked on when I was in Orlando with the Solar Bears, and I’m excited to be involved with the mental health community here in the Greater Reading Region, as well. I’m interested in working towards ending the stigma associated with talking about mental health issues and ensuring young people that it’s okay to be part of an open and honest conversation.”

As a part of the fund-raising efforts on Friday, the Royals will also offer “Tanski Talks” t-shirts for sale during the game with the proceeds going to the GRMHA. Also, during the game, players from the Royals and Monarchs will both wear patches reading “DIFD,” which stands for Do it for Daron, an organization started by former Flyer, Luke Richardson for his daughter who tragically took her own life at the age of 14. DIFD encourages young people to talk openly about mental illness and to ask for help when needed.

“DIFD is proud to partner with the Royals for this Friday’s game,” Luke commented. “The Flyers hold a very special place in my heart. To have Bernie Parent and Lauren Hart, two close friends, also at the game that night means the world. Let’s all work together to strike out the stigma around mental health and start the conversation!”

The Royals return to action on Wednesday (March 23 @ 7:00 pm) when the team will return to Santander Arena in Reading to face the Kalamazoo Wings for the only time in the regular season. On Wednesday, the Royals will celebrate a ‘Wednesday Night Rivalry Game’ with over 250 t-shirts fired into the crowd to build the frenzy.  The game night broadcast for Wednesday’s matchup can be heard live on CBS SportsRadio 1240 am and 98.5 in Reading, Pennsylvania, starting with the pre-game warm-up show presented by Highmark Blue Shield at 6:30 pm Eastern Time. Streaming audio is available free of charge on the Royals’ website; and streaming video is available on a pay-per-view basis through ECHL.TV.For more information, call Alexy Posner at 610-898-7825 or aposner@royalshockey.com.

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