30 Days of Lundqvist: Giving Back
What makes Henrik Lundqvist exceptional goes far beyond the highlight reel saves, sharp suits, sculpted hair and intense stare-downs. Since becoming a New York Ranger Lundqvist has used his celebrity, fame and fortune to do good, especially for the health and education of children.
Of course, it is not uncommon to see professional athletes doing charitable work. And we see it every year on MSG with Rangers prospects working in soup kitchens and with players attending the Garden of Dreams Foundation’s Casino Night. But the fact that we have come to expect Rangers players donating their time doesn’t take away how significant it is. And it certainly doesn’t take away from the efforts of athletes who have dedicated themselves to going above and beyond.
After years of donating his time and energy to the Garden of Dreams Henrik and his wife Therese founded the Henrik Lundqvist Foundation in April 2014.
The mission statement of HLF:
The Henrik Lundqvist Foundation, through its fundraising efforts and community outreach, strives to create positive change in the lives of children and adults throughout the world through education and health services.
And what HLF is all about, according to Henrik himself:
In addition to the HLF, Lundqvist is still active with the Garden of Dreams and is on its advisory board.
“I’d been working a lot with the Garden of Dreams Foundation, and I’m still a spokesperson for the Garden of Dreams Foundation,” Lundqvist explained in an interview with Gotham last year. “They showed me the ropes for sure my first few years here in New York.
“I think over the years, I just [had] this futuristic hope of creating something on my own, with my family,” Lundqvist continued. “Finally, we decided to do it and have had the opportunity to reach a lot of people back home [in Sweden], and different projects in New York. I mean, we really have two homes. Sweden obviously in the off-season, in the summertime, but here [in New York], is where we spend the most time, and we really enjoy it. It feels good to reach both places.”
Through the foundation Therese and Henrik Lundqvist have impacted the lives of families in and around New York, in Sweden and in the Dominican Republic. The Foundation has partnered with the Ronald McDonald House, New York Presbyterian Children’s Hospitals, Together for Better and the Garden of Dreams Foundation.
We don’t see many .gifs or highlight reels of charitable work, but they are far more important than any big save. The Lundqvist family is committed to making the world a better place by doing much more than signing the big check. New York is lucky to have them.
To learn more about the Henrik Lundqvist Foundation click here.