Recently, Detroit Red Wings center Sam Gagner paid a virtual visit to kids at the Children’s Hospital of Michigan with the help of an Ohmni Robot, a unique, award-winning telepresence experience from Ohmni Labs that safely allows players and young fans to meet.

Gagner met four patients: Payton, age 12, and his brother Blake, age 14; Tate, age 22; and Charlie, age six.

Afterward, Payton and Blake’s father, Howard, expressed his gratitude for the visit. “Life is all about helping people and the special moments with family and friends,” Howard said. “By organizing this visit, the Detroit Red Wings and Children’s Hospital of Michigan gave us the opportunity to share a special moment with family which is truly what matters in life.”

After Gagner’s virtual visits, team representatives came by with gifts for kids throughout the hospital, including Detroit Red Wings-branded blankets and teddy bears.

“This past year taught us to think differently about how we brighten the days of our youngest Red Wings fans in need,” Kevin Brown, Red Wings and Tigers director of community impact, said. “Even during a pandemic, we knew there had to be a way to keep the team’s decades-long tradition of visiting the Children’s Hospital of Michigan going, and we’re grateful to be able to use technology to do so.”

Previously, this virtual remote experience was used during the Red Wings’ Youth Skater of the Game program, providing local Black youth hockey players access to watch Red Wings players up close during warmups prior to each game.

The Red Wings are regular visitors of the Children’s Hospital of Michigan. In past years, the team partnered with local community organizations to buy holiday gifts for kids whose families are in need.  Red Wings players would personally deliver these gifts, distributed through the hospital’s Snowpile program, which eases the burden on families during the holidays by providing gifts for hospitalized children and their siblings.

Learn more about the Red Wings’ community-based initiatives at NHL.com/RedWings/Community.

Brent Armstrong knows firsthand the value of working for a family business like Little Caesars. He and his wife of 25 years, Rochelle, own two stores in metro Detroit. Together, Brent and Rochelle have five children, each of whom have worked at Little Caesars in some capacity, and two grandchildren, who will also have the opportunity to follow in the family business.

Brent has been with the company for 35 years. He started with Little Caesars as a crew member in 1989 during his senior year of high school. He worked hard and climbed the ranks from assistant store manager to store manager, then area supervisor to director of operations.

And then Brent got a call; Mike Ilitch wanted to see him in his office. Mr. Ilitch had seen Brent’s progress at work, knew he had a large family at home, and wanted to help him succeed with his ambition of owning his own Little Caesars store.

Since then, Brent has built a family-owned business within the family-owned business. He works to give opportunities — not only to his family, but to people in the community.

“Little Caesars really invests in people. And if you focus on your people, everything else will follow.”

Learn more about Brent and his family in the video below.

Helping make a positive difference in the lives of young Detroiters, the Detroit Red Wings are bringing STEM education into the homes of hundreds of Detroit Public Schools Community District students through Virtual STEM Days, driven by Chevrolet, from May 17–21.

Through this annual program, which focuses on Science, Technology, Education and Math, Red Wings-themed STEM kits are being delivered to three local schools: Clippert Multicultural Magnet Honors Academy; Bethune Elementary-Middle School; and Ronald Brown Academy.

Each kit contains hockey-related items that help bring STEM concepts to life, including a STEM-branded “make-a-rink” lab, hockey pucks and a ruler where students see how temperature affects puck movement.

“In collaboration with Chevrolet, the Virtual STEM Day program brings hockey-based educational concepts to kids in a new and interactive way,” said Kevin Brown, Red Wings and Tigers director of community impact.  “We believe children can learn and grow through these types of educational opportunities and look forward to bringing additional youth sports, education and wellness programs to our community.”  

The STEM curriculum is part of the Red Wings’ Future Goals Program, designed to create fun and memorable learning experiences for children across Detroit.

For more information, visit NHL.com/RedWings.

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Right-handed pitcher Spencer Turnbull made Tigers history by throwing the franchise’s first no-hitter in a decade, and the 8^th in franchise history, during a 5-0 win against the Mariners at T-Mobile Park on Tuesday, May 18. Turnbull is Tigers homegrown pitcher; he was drafted by the Tigers in 2014 and made his MLB debut in 2018.

“This is the greatest achievement in my life so far, at least in my baseball career,” Turnbull said. “Definitely the most exciting. It’s a landmark stamp on my career to this point. I don’t know how to think of it in historical terms. But personally, I’m just happy to have my name written on something that can never be taken away.”

Tigers catcher Eric Haase, a Michigan native born in Westland, Mich. who played baseball at Divine Child High School in Dearborn, Mich., was the first to congratulate Turnbull.

“Everything was working for him,” Haase said. “He was getting to the top of the zone. He was sinking it when he had to. And his spin, just like his last start, his spin the second and third time through the order really shined. Any time we can hide a weapon like that until the second and third time through, you see how it played out. They were off-balance all night.”

Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said the excitement grew as the 28-year-old, who had never gone more than seven innings in his 49 starts, kept the streak alive.

“He adjusted as the night went on and just kept pounding the strike zone pretty relentlessly,” Hinch said. “He got stronger as the game got on. He got some quick innings in the middle which was important. We could all feel it, especially after Candy’s back-handed play. Now it was like, we’ve entered the ‘don’t talk about it’ phase of the no-hitter and we started counting outs.”

In honor of the achievement, the Tigers have launched a limited-time “No-Hit” ticket special, eliminating all fees on single-game Tigers tickets for the remainder of May and the month of June. These fee-free tickets are available at MLB.com/Tigers.

The last Tigers pitcher to throw a no-hitter was Justin Verlander, who threw two while playing for Detroit (on June 12, 2007 and May 7, 2011). Turnbull joins Verlander, Jack Morris (April 7, 1984), Jim Bunning (July 20, 1958), Virgil Trucks (Aug. 25, 1952 and May 15, 1952) and George Mullin (July 4, 1912) as the only Tigers pitchers to accomplish the feat.

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This Mother’s Day, the Detroit Tigers recognized Amanda Hofbauer, booking coordinator for 313 Presents, as Honorary Bat Girl for her fight against breast cancer.

Hofbauer started as booking coordinator for 313 Presents in 2012, helping to book shows at 313 Presents venues, including the historic Fox Theatre and award-winning Little Caesars Arena and DTE Energy Music Theatre, Comerica Park, Meadow Brook Amphitheatre and Michigan Lottery Theatre. She was diagnosed with stage-four breast cancer at age 32. Determined to survive, Hofbauer beat her two-year prognosis, and remains active in educating women on the importance of early detection.

Major League Baseball’s Honorary Bat Girl program was introduced league-wide in 2009 to raise additional awareness and support for the annual “Going to Bat Against Breast Cancer” initiative celebrated on Mother’s Day. Each MLB club selects their respective Honorary Bat Girl based on their personal connection to breast cancer; demonstration of commitment to the battle through education, awareness, fundraising or additional efforts and awareness; and demonstration of substantial local community impact.

To learn more about the program, visit MLB.com/HonoraryBatGirl.

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Jurassic Quest Drive Thru, the nation’s largest and most realistic dinosaur experience, will make its return to the parking area of DTE Energy Music Theatre on Friday, June 18 and run through Sunday, July 4. The family-friendly event includes more than 70 photorealistic dinosaurs returning from extinction to delight dino fans everywhere.

In August 2020, about 34,000 families experienced the drive thru exhibit during its four-week stay at DTE Energy Music Theatre, making it one of the most popular stops in North America last summer. After welcoming millions of guests to sold-out events across the country, Jurassic Quest Drive Thru will once again transform outdoor areas throughout the region into a fun-filled drive-thru experience.

“It is great to welcome back Jurassic Quest Drive Thru to DTE Energy Music Theatre,” Howard Handler, president of 313 Presents, said. “The event last year exceeded our expectations, and we look forward to creating more memories for our guests this summer. We continue to see the enthusiasm for live events remains strong, and this family-friendly drive through experience allows us to keep our guests entertained while following current safety guidelines.”

Adventurers must buy Jurassic Quest tickets from JurassicQuest.com in advance. Tickets cost $49 per vehicle of eight people or less, and include a 100-percent ticket guarantee in the event of show cancellation or postponement.

Audio tours come standard (special accommodations can be made for the hearing impaired). Visitors can choose between the original audio tour in English and Spanish, or a brand-new audio adventure led by Safari Sarah and her crew. Adventurers will also receive a safari-style digital souvenir photo of your car and family transported back into the Jurassic Period. In addition to the life-like dinosaur exhibits, there will be opportunities to visit with one-of-a-kind baby dinosaurs and the Jurassic Quest team of dino trainers. Special souvenir packages and other additional items can be purchased at check out.

Jurassic Quest takes extra precautionary measures to provide a clean and safe event and operates under COVID-19 safety protocols in accordance with county, state and CDC guidelines. Guests are to remain in their own vehicles and to wear masks in the event they exit the vehicle in allowed areas (restrooms). Social distancing rules are requested of all guests and maintained by Jurassic Quest crew. Equipment, dinosaurs and workstations are sanitized frequently and thoroughly throughout the entirety of the event. Event employees apply hand sanitizer and wash hands regularly throughout each day, in addition to wearing masks. A full list of Frequently Asked Questions can be found online at www.jurassicquest.com/drive-thru-faqs.

Dates and times include:

• Friday, June 18: 11 a.m.–8 p.m.
• Saturday, June 19: 9 a.m.–9 p.m.
• Sunday, June 20: 9 a.m.–8 p.m.
• Wednesday, June 23: 1 p.m.–8 p.m.
• Thursday, June 24: 9 a.m.–8 p.m.
• Friday, June 25: 9 a.m.–8 p.m.
• Saturday, June 26: 9 a.m.–9 p.m.
• Sunday, June 27: 9 a.m.–8 p.m.
• Wednesday, June 30: 1 p.m.–8 p.m.
• Thursday, July 1: 9 a.m.–8 p.m.
• Friday, July 2: 9 a.m.–8 p.m.
• Saturday, July 3: 9 a.m.–9 p.m.
• Sunday, July 4: 9 a.m.–8 p.m.

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Champion Foods, a manufacturer of premier-branded and private label products available in supermarkets across the U.S., has promoted 17-year veteran Jon Newsom to the role of Vice President and Managing Director.

Jon was previously Champion Food’s vice president of sales and marketing and played a key role in expanding relationships with various companies like Costco, Walmart, and Aldi. Jon is a graduate from the University of Michigan with a degree in business administration and management.

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Team sports can play a key role in childhood development by teaching and reinforcing the ideas of teamwork, honesty and responsibility. That’s why the Detroit Tigers, along with the Detroit Tigers Foundation, an affiliate of Ilitch Charities, have partnered with Bally Sports Detroit and USA Baseball to offer the virtual Fun At Bat At Home Series to kids, available through June 4.

Fun At Bat At Home is a free, interactive, five-week video series introduces kids in grades K-5 the fundamentals of baseball and softball. Hosted by Bally Sports Detroit studio analyst and former Detroit Tigers outfielder Craig Monroe, the program promotes fun and active lifestyles with an emphasis on character development, functional movement, literacy, active play and wellness.

The program features appearances from Tigers players, manager A.J. Hinch, PAWS and more!

Learn more at Tigers.com/FunAtBat.

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To commemorate his historic start in the major leagues, and as a thank-you to Tigers fans, Akil Baddoo entered the non-fungible token (NFT) market with a limited three-piece collection of exclusive digital artwork designed by renowned artist Dan Abrams of Athletes Logos.

NFTs are one-of-a-kind digital collectibles with a built-in certificate of authenticity. Each NFT is unique, and can only have one owner, making them highly collectible. The technology, which has existed since the mid-2010s, has become increasingly popular over the last few years with artists and athletes. Baddoo is the first Tigers player to offer such digital assets.

A portion of the proceeds from this limited-edition NFT sale benefited two community organizations: Detroit R.B.I. (Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities) Youth Baseball and Softball program; and RISE, a national nonprofit with a strong Detroit presence that educates and empowers the sports community to eliminate racial discrimination, champion social justice and improve race relations.

“I’ve always been a person that is looking to give back and set an example for the young people that are watching me,” Baddoo said. “The NFTs were a way for me to do that, while at the same time thanking the city of Detroit for all the love and support they have shown me and my family during Spring Training and the start of the season. I’m thrilled that we were able to donate some of the proceeds from the NFT sale to the Detroit R.B.I. program as well as RISE, two organizations that are important to me for the work that they do and what they stand for.”

Baddoo wasted no time endearing himself Tigers to fans when he hit a home run in his first MLB at bat. The rookie outfielder then hit a grand slam in his second game and a walk-off single in his third, thereby making Major League Baseball history. Since then, fans can be heard yelling “DOOOOO” when he comes to the plate or makes a play, echoing the way fans would yell “LOOOOO” to cheer on legendary Tiger Lou Whitaker.

The limited NFT sale is now closed. Learn more about the exclusive NFT collection and purchase other limited-edition Baddoo items at www.akilbaddoo60.com.

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