Seattle Business Magazine honored Sounders FC as the “Business of the Year in Midsize Companies” at their 2015 Community Impact Awards on Wednesday night, making the Sounders the first sports franchise to ever receive the honor.
In a night filled with dedicated and accomplished community-driven organizations such as YouthCare and ArtsFund, Sounders FC stood out as an essential component of the Seattle community.
John Levesque, Managing Editor of Seattle Business Magazine and of no relation to former Sounders player and Director of Community Outreach Roger Levesque, presented the club with the award.
John Levesque highlighted Sounders FC’s first-ever Pride Match, the club’s continued contribution to the YouthForce program and the team’s trip to Honduras, during which supporters had the opportunity to refurbish a soccer field at a community center.
Said John Levesque: “We love companies that do well by doing good.”
Roger Levesque accepted the award on behalf of the organization and wasted no time in attributing the success of the community program to the fans and supporters of Sounders FC.
“If we had all the people that we leaned on for community efforts, you’d have 44,000 people up here,” he said.
Roger Levesque put the Sounders community’s sense of “Passion” center stage in discussing how committed the organization is top to bottom and called out midfielder Lamar Neagle, also in attendance, for his humanitarian work and establishment of the Neagle Foundation.
While philanthropy has always been a predominant trait of the organization, Sounders FC reached some significant new heights in 2015.
The 30 in 30 campaign as part of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month featured Sounders players and ambassadors visiting hospitals and patients every day of the month of September. The Breast Cancer Awareness Calendar as part of BCA Month has raised over $10,000 benefiting Making Strides Against Breast Cancer of Seattle, the local affiliate of the American Cancer Society. And the first ever Pride Match in support of the LGBT community contributed to a citywide initiative in support of gay marriage and equality.
The November issue of Seattle Business Magazine will hit news stands in the coming weeks, and will feature Lamar Neagle and Sounders captain Brad Evans on the cover.
