Why I Created
by Rob Canton
After 23 years with
PricewaterhouseCoopers where I led its national Sports & Tourism Consulting Practice where I served clients including the New York Yankees , the Walt Disney Company , and the National Football League , I joined the Tampa Bay Lightning in September 2012 as EVP Finance & Strategy . It was that very same month in 2012 that I began laying the groundwork for the Athletes and Causes Foundation .
My passion for giving back started much earlier ; however , and getting to this point was a challenge . Mom and Dad were Cuban refugees — fleeing Castro ’ s oppression in the late 1950 ’ s . I grew up in a household where my brothers and I were raised almost exclusively by my mother while Dad , who never attended high school in Cuba and refused to assimilate during his entire life in the U . S . He was a serial “ get-richquick ” schemer who traveled the country in search of his fortune , but never escaped the cycle of poverty , due to his non-stop search for the quick buck , as opposed to the hard work and perseverance exemplified by so many Cuban refugees that came to the U . S . around the same time . While my brothers and I grew up in extremely poor conditions , I was fortunate that my father insisted on the rule that education came first — even though that rule may have often been enforced with an iron fist . Unfortunately , Dad ’ s presence was typically associated with physical and verbal abusive to my mother and siblings . The lessons I learned from my father came from his negative example and my desire to be everything he was not . This early life experience formed the basis for my desire to give back later in life .
ATHLETES
+ CAUSES
My position and travel demands with PwC made it all but impossible to focus any significant time on local community initiatives in Tampa Bay . However , the opportunity to work for the Lightning organization and not be required to travel changed that . It was soon after joining the Tampa Bay Lightning that I was introduced to the local chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation ’ s ( JDRF ). I myself suffer from Juvenile ( Type 1 ) Diabetes , so it was a natural fit in terms of an organization to align with . Soon after my first meeting with the JDRF staff and board , I was asked to chair their annual Gala . I agreed under three conditions : 1 ) that Nicole Johnson , Miss America 1991 and a JDRF International Board Member would serve as co-chair , 2 ) that I would not approach Jeff Vinik for a major Gala sponsorship , and 3 ) that I would be given the freedom to work “ outside-the-box ” in coming up with a creative way to raise bring attention to and raise money for the Gala . That creation was the first annual Athletes + Causes event , which would be celebrity-hosted by three professional athletes representing the Tampa Bay Rays , Buccaneers , and the Lightning , each of whose lives were also affected by Type-One Diabetes . The success of the first Athletes + Causes event was evident in that the leveraging of high-profile athletes was the primary driver behind our ability to double the prior year ’ s Gala revenue .
That first event in January 2014 included the support of Tampa Bay Lightning Forward BJ Crombeen , Rays Outfielder Sam Fuld , and Buccaneers Tight End Tom
Crabtree . Sponsors and individuals ticket purchasers took advantage of the opportunity to mix and mingle not only with the three professional sports hosts , but with their dozens of fellow Lightning , Rays , and Bucs teammates that showed up to support their passion . Unfortunately , soon after our first event , all three players were no longer with Tampa Bay teams due to trade , release , or retirement — such is life in professional sports !
Without the benefit of local sports celebrities , the event ’ s first evolution was becoming a celebration of athletes and the wide variety of charities they are passionate about . The event grew significantly in its 2nd year , as in March 2015 Athletes and Causes was granted non-profit status as a 501 ( c )( 3 ) Public Charity by the IRS and the proceeds of that event were directed to multiple charities including Derrick Brooks Charities , JDRF , Make-A-Wish , and the Toby Hall Foundation . Our 2016 event this past March raised money for the Children ’ s Dream Fund , Ryan Callahan Foundation , Chris Archer ’ s Archway Foundation , the Mike Alstott Family Foundation , JDRF , and the Jason Ackerman Foundation . Our second major evolution began in the summer of this year , when our mission focused on support local charities by leveraging the platform of professional athletes and artists / entertainers . We became an " umbrella " foundation that provides a shared-services model allowing an athlete or entertainer to have their own unique foundation without the need to create their own legal entity ( 501c3 ), hire their own full-time staff , pay for their own overhead , and
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