Anaheim Ducks stars take kids under their wings

The Anaheim Ducks hockey player braced himself before entering largely unfamiliar territory.

Chris Stewart, a Ducks’ forward, slowly rolled his shopping cart to the toy section of Target at the Irvine Spectrum Center and stared at shelves brimming with pink boxes showcasing Barbie dolls.

“Do you see anything you’d like?” Stewart asked Elizabeth Quintanilla of Santa Ana.

Elizabeth, 12, plopped a shimmery-dressed doll into the basket for her younger sister and thought about presents for the rest of her nine siblings.

It didn’t take long for the seventh-grader to spend her $250 gift certificate during the Anaheim Ducks’ eighth annual shopping spree for low-income youngsters enrolled at The Wooden Floor, an arts-based youth development nonprofit in Santa Ana.

“I’m really excited,” Elizabeth said. “Not a lot of people get this advantage.”

Stewart and other eight Ducks players were matched with 24 kids Monday night for an outing that the professional athletes hoped would make a difference in the lives of the children.

Showing kids that famous sports figures are people too is one of the benefits of the holiday tradition, which has The Wooden Floor officials selecting the children who would benefit most from befriending a Ducks team member, said Dawn Reese, co-chief executive officer of the nonprofit. She noted that 375 students are enrolled in the program, and that the annual income for a typical family of five is $35,000.

The Anaheim Ducks Foundation, which promotes programs for children and families, has partnered with Ducks players and their wives or partners to donate the afternoon for shopping, followed by a skating session at the center’s temporary ice rink.

“We really try to instill in our students that life is abundant and to dream big,” Reese said, adding that 100% of The Wooden Floor graduates have completed high school on time and immediately enrolled in college. She said this compares to about 45% of their socioeconomic peers. “This, tonight, is all about the bigger picture, and this is an opportunity for them to be inspired.”

By the end of the event, Stewart had dipped into his own pocket to make the holiday feel even more special for Elizabeth when she wanted an iPod.

“For me, I come from a big family too, and to give back, it’s just all about the kids,” said Stewart, who has six brothers and sisters.

As he and Elizabeth added boots, a backpack and pants to their cart, Anaheim Ducks right winger Jakob Silfverberg helped Moises Santiago, 12, and Melvin Espinoza, 11, find books, batteries and cases of bottled Frappuccinos for Moises’ family.

“We’ll get you whatever you want and make sure it happens,” Silfverberg said as he reached for a football. “Let’s get a hat too.”

Many of the children requested necessities, like socks, T-shirts and school supplies.

Once Target associates had rung up the bills, the children, ages 8 to 17, posed for a group picture. Joining them was team captain Ryan Getzlaf and his wife, Paige, defenseman Clayton Stoner, center and alternate captain Ryan Kesler and others.

The students then headed over to the Spectrum’s ice rink and laced up skates for a private session with the Duck players.

Right wing and alternate captain Corey Perry skated backward as he held 10-year-old Genesis Gloria’s hands and taught her simple steps.

“You get to meet the kids and give them what they want rather than making a kit and sending it off,” Getzlaf, a father of three, said as his younger companions rushed to give him and his wife hugs. “This is fun for us.”