Timberwolves Players Contributions Provide 500 Tickets to Youth for Each Target Center Game this Season

Minneapolis/St. Paul Minnesota Timberwolves players contributions in this seasons Tickets for Kids program has enabled the organization to donate 500 tickets for every home game to deserving youth in our community. A total of 22,000 tickets will be donated this season thanks to the players financial support of the Timberwolves FastBreak Foundations Tickets for Kids program.

Players who donated $10,000 or more this season are recognized with a personalized banner above their Tickets for Kids seating section in Target Center. Nikola Pekovic leads the team with his $50,000 donation. The player seating sections for the 2014-15 season are:

- Pek's Pack sponsored by Nikola Pekovic

- Ricky's Rock Stars sponsored by Ricky Rubio

- Kevin's Krew sponsored by Kevin Martin

- Thad's' Young-Stars sponsored by Thaddeus Young

- Brewers Buddies sponsored by Corey Brewer

- Budinger's Ballers sponsored by Chase Budinger

The incredible contributions from our players into this program are a testament to their desire to give back to the community in a very significant way, said Brad Ruiter, Timberwolves Vice President of Communications. This initiative is a voluntary program that our players are not required to participate in, yet we continue to see our guys want to step up and do things like this to show how much being involved means to them. We are proud that several thousand area kids who may not otherwise get the opportunity will be able to enjoy a Timberwolves game this season because of the generosity of our players.

To distribute the donated tickets, the FastBreak Foundation partners with nonprofit organizations that focus on benefiting youth through one-on-one mentoring, education enrichment, community involvement and support for at-risk children and those who have physical or mental challenges. Some of the 2014-15 Ticket for Kids partners include Big Brothers Big Sisters, Camp Odayin, HopeKids, The Bridge for Youth, Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute, Salvation Army, Tix for Tots and the Washburn Center for Children.

The Timberwolves FastBreak Foundation has been an incredible partner for HopeKids. Through the Foundation and the Tickets for Kids program, our kids and their families have been given experiences by the Timberwolves that help accomplish our mission of providing hope, said Brian Anderson, executive director of HopeKids Minnesota. We could not provide these experiences without the FastBreak Foundation, and we are extremely grateful for this partnership and program.

Nonprofit groups interested in participating in the Tickets for Kids program can visit www.timberwolves.com/community for more information.

About the FastBreak Foundation

The Timberwolves FastBreak Foundation provides and supports hands-on programs that positively impact Minnesota youth. Through giving, education and basketball opportunities, the Foundation enables young people to make responsible decisions, contribute to their futures, and experience lifelong memories. In the past year, the Minnesota Timberwolves FastBreak Foundation and the Minnesota Lynx Foundation have combined to impact 2,146 organizations with $842,790 in in-kind donations, 20,000 Tickets for Kids donations, 3,107 volunteer hours, 53 community members honored on-court, and 15 grants distributed.