Softball Olympian Larissa Franklin will soon get to brush shoulders with other sports legends, including Super Bowl champ Rob Gronkowski, at the 28th annual RBC Jewish Community Centre (JCC) Sports Dinner.
This yearly charity event raises money for the JCC of Greater Vancouver and features appearances by several Olympians, including Maple Ridge’s own Franklin, who has a bronze medal from the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and was recently named to Softball Canada Women’s National Team for the 10th consecutive year.
READ MORE: Maple Ridge softball star named to 2023 Women’s National Team
As part of the event, Franklin will be taking pictures with guests at her own table and will be helping to inspire people to donate money to the JCC for more accessible community programs.
“It’s such an honour to join this group of champions,” said Franklin. “How many Canadian athletes can say they’ve shared a stage with Gronk?”
Franklin explained that she believes that being a champion means more than just winning some medals for your country.
“There is no champion without a community,” she said.
“I believe that the biggest part of being a champion is using your role or success to positively impact those around you, which is one of the reasons I was so excited to be selected for this event.”
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In addition to NFL star Gronkowski, a total of nine Olympians will be featured at this event:
• Larissa Franklin – Softball (Maple Ridge, B.C.)
• Haley Daniels – Canoe-Kayak (Calgary, Alta.)
• Darren Gardner – Snowboarding (Burlington, Ont.)
• Elena Gaskell – Freestyle Skiing (Vernon, B.C.)
• Justin Kripps – Bobsleigh (Summerland, B.C.)
• Ben Preisner – Marathon (Milton, Ont.)
• John Smythe – Field Hockey (Vancouver, B.C.)
• Chris Spring – Bobsleigh (Priddis, Alta.)
• Eden Wilson – Bobsleigh (Brandon, Man.)
The RBC JCC Sports Dinner will take place on Tuesday, March 28, in Vancouver.
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