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HT40 FOUNDATION: SHOULDER CHECK SHOWCASE | COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGY AND ROLLOUT


The HT40 Foundation was founded in 2023 in honor of Hayden Thorsen, a 16-year-old Darien, CT native who sadly left us too soon. If you asked around, friends, family, and community members all said the same thing about Hayden—he was someone who always made sure other people feel special. He was always one to put his arm around you and be a shoulder to lean on when you needed it. After hearing these amazing anecdotes from Hayden’s friends and teammates, his parents decided to launch the HT40 Foundation, representing Hayden’s initials and the number 40, the number he wore while he played hockey.

The Droga5 team had the honor and privilege of getting the HT40 Foundation off the ground with its inaugural event: the Shoulder Check Showcase. We built this initiative from the ground up—from conceptualization to producing the event. Together, we coordinated an exhibition hockey match at Terry Conners Ice Rink, headlined by NHL stars like Trevor Zegras, Chris Krieder, Mika Zibanejad, and more all in an effort to encourage people to support their friends, family, and close ones by Reaching Out, Checking In, and Making Contact.


We sold out the event, with over 2000 people in person to watch the exhibition match and the inaugural kickoff of the Shoulder Check Showcase.




Beyond the event, we created a commitment for everyone to take through social. It’s pretty simple and flexes between IRL and social. Either physically sign your shoulder and commit to reaching out, checking, and making contact with your loved ones OR simply use our AR filter that you can find on the Shoulder Check Instagram. 




It was an incredibly special night for an equally special organization filled with amazing talent, participants, and attendees.

Let’s run it back next year, and we’ll keep shoulder checking each other in the meantime.




PRESS:
NHL: NHL PLayers Take Part in 1st Shoulder Check Showcase
NBC CT: NHL Stars Come to Stamford For Shoulder Check Showcase
Yahoo! Sports: NHL Stars Skate in Shoulder Check Showcase to Honor Darien’s Hayden Thorsen
AdAge: Sarah Thompson Launches Mental Health Awareness Initiative Honoring Her Son with Help From Droga5
The Athletic: A Tragedy Births The Shoulder Check, a Movement For Mental Health with Help From NHL Friends
...and more




AGENCY:
Droga5