Multiple avenues to generate proceeds including a sold-out tribute event at Capital One Arena, national NBC broadcast, benefit auction, public donations and more
Click HERE for B-Roll and HERE for photos from the Legacy on Ice event.
Washington, D.C. (April 3, 2025) – Legacy on Ice, the figure skating benefit program produced by Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE), Entertainment Gang, and U.S. Figure Skating, announced today that its multiple fundraising efforts net a total of $1.3 million in donations to support families, loved ones and first responders affected by the aviation tragedy at Ronald Reagan National Airport on January 29, 2025. All proceeds were collected by the Monumental Sports & Entertainment Foundation (MSEF)’s Legacy on Ice program. MSEF will distribute the funds to the U.S. Figure Skating Association, Greater Washington Community Foundation’s “DCA Together Relief Fund,” and the DC Fire & EMS Foundation, which will each provide direct support to those affected in their respective communities. Each entity will receive approximately $425,000.
The Legacy on Ice program’s flagship event, a live figure skating tribute held at Capital One Arena on March 3, 2025, raised more than $1.2 million generated directly around the event. The additional $100,000 was subsequently raised in the weeks following to net a total of $1.3 million across the entire effort.
To support the event, Monumental Sports & Entertainment provided approximately $249,000 in in-kind contributions of labor, staging and event production, and MSE’s ownership group directly donated approximately $250,000 to support the production team who choregraphed and filmed the event, doing so at-cost. With both cash and in-kind donations, the total accounting of the event topped nearly $2 million.
The event featured past and present skating champions, attracting a sold-out crowd of more than 15,000 attendees including 500 first responders and approximately 150 family members of victims. Monumental Sports & Entertainment donated all services and costs for the live event, and Ticketmaster waived all ticketing fees for attendees. The event also garnered additional support across the official Olympics, Team USA NBC Sports and US Figure Skating social media platforms, reaching a combined audience of more than 50 million.
The event was announced just one week after the tragedy and organized in just over 30 days. The athletes and production team had only scant hours of in-person rehearsal time before going live. Still, the two-hour program came together in nearly flawless execution, thanks to 250 staff working behind the scenes.
On March 30, NBC aired a national encore broadcast of the tribute event, providing additional opportunities for viewers to donate that resulted in an additional $10,000+ in proceeds. The Monumental Sports & Entertainment Foundation also launched an online benefit auction in tandem with the live event on March 3, which raised more than $33,000 up until its conclusion at 3:00 pm ET today. The auction featured a slate of special offerings graciously donated by Washington sports teams, businesses and community groups.
“We are honored to have supported our community and those impacted during this tragic time,” said Ted Leonsis, CEO of Monumental Sports & Entertainment. “I have been inspired by the herculean effort and generosity of the organizations and our community members. Without them, we couldn’t have provided the kind of tribute that the families and loved ones of those lost deserve. This is evidence of what good that can happen when people band together.”
Generous contributions from eight organizations were instrumental in the success of the Legacy on Ice event, including CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, Venture Global, American Express, DXC Foundation, MGM National Harbor, Clark Construction, Giant, and Kendra Scott. Funds from these corporate sponsorships significantly lowered all associated costs for the event, in turn increasing the proceeds benefitting victims’ families and first responders.
Tax-deductible donations can still be made to the MSEF Legacy on Ice program until April 30.
To find additional information on the Legacy on Ice program and to donate directly, please visit www.LegacyOnIce.com.
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