Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider and his wife, Traci, appeared on 710 ESPN Seattle on Wednesday and discussed their upcoming "Prime Time" celebrity waiter event to raise money for Ben’s Fund, a foundation named after their son, Ben, who was diagnosed with autism at the age of three.
In what is their sixth event to raise money for the fund, Prime Time will be held on April 20 and will feature players, coaches and Seahawks Legends. Ben's Fund provides grants to families across the state of Washington to help cover costs for "medical bills, therapies and numerous other aspects of supporting a child, or children, on the autism spectrum."
"It's just a blast," Traci said Wednesday. "We just want to create an environment where it's fun. Everybody likes to come, everybody likes to be a part of it. The players have a good time and everybody is just having a good time for a really important cause.
"It's so much fun to watch it every single year because something different every single year happens, and it's just a blast to see how it goes."
Since launching the fund in partnership with Families for Effective Autism Treatment (FEAT) of Washington in 2012, John and Traci have raised over two million dollars and have given away over one million. All of the proceeds from the Prime Time event will directly benefit FEAT Washington to support local families impacted by autism.
Added John: "The need is enormous, but there's a ton of hope. There's a lot of cool stuff out there for people to take advantage of and that's why it's such a big deal for us."
The celebrity waiter event is one of a handful of initiatives the Seahawks have launched in April to support autism awareness month. At each Seahawks Pro Shop this month, 10% of sales for every regular priced hat and knit hat sold will be donated to Ben's Fund. The team also started an online charity auction that's currently live until April 13, with all proceeds going to the fund. The auction features an autographed Kam Chancellor football, an autographed Russell Wilson replica helmet and an autographed Tyler Lockett Action Green replica jersey. You can view the auction and place a bid here.
Prime Time celebrity waiter event raises money for Ben's Fund, is now in its fifth year.