Capitals: Nic and Paige Dowd announce contest for Autism Awareness Month
Washington Capitals center Nic Dowd and his wife Paige have given back to the autism community and now the fans can get involved as well.
April is Autism Awareness Month and for it, Nic Dowd and his wife Paige announced a logo design contest for their Dowd’s Crowd program. Washington Capitals fans are encouraged to download a blank puzzle piece from the team’s website and complete the design.
The winning logo will be featured on drawstring bags that are used for Dowd’s Crowd sensory kits given to autism families when they get the opportunity to attend a Capitals game.
The winner will receive four tickets to a future Capitals home game, a postgame meet and greet with the Dowds as well as 10 drawstring bags featuring their logo.
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Send the completed submissions via email to capscare@washcaps.com by Friday, May 1. You can download the Dowd’s Crowd blank puzzle piece by clicking here.
In 2018 the Dowds created Dowd’s Crowd to provide the opportunity for families of children with autism to attend a Capitals game with tickets and a Dowd’s Crowd sensory kit, which includes noise cancelling headphones, sunglasses, a foam puck, and a conversation card help keep the fan entertained throughout the game without any triggers. Plus the participants get a postgame meet and greet with Nic and Paige after the game.
Fans who have submitted designs are encouraged to tag the Capitals on social media and use the hashtags #AustismAwareness, #AustismAcceptance, and #MyDCMasterpiece.
If you’ve already sent in your design for the puzzle piece, stick tap to you. If you haven’t there’s still time before the May 1 deadline. It’s awesome getting to see Nic Dowd and his wife adapt well to their new home which we’ve seen through the Beyond Hockey series on the Caps YouTube channel.
Seeing the Dowd’s give back to the autism community shows they’re much better people than they are athletes. They were inspired to give back to the special needs community when the couple attended college at St. Cloud State University.
Paige studied speech-language pathology. After graduating and moving to California Paige was an autism therapist while Nic was pursuing his NHL career.
Paige told Taryn Bray of WashCaps.com:
"“I saw how the day-to-day life of the parents can be challenging, and going to events that would be easy for some parents are more difficult for others. Hockey games are loud and can have a lot of sensory triggers for children, so Nic and I wanted to make it a safe environment for kids to be able to enjoy a hockey game.”"
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Again, it’s great to see the Dowds make an impact on the special needs community through Dowd’s Crowd. Here’s hoping other athletes across the league give back through efforts similar to these.