Chicago Wolves president gives back to community

CHICAGO — Courtney Mahoney rose through the ranks and is now president of operations for the Chicago Wolves hockey team.

Although a championship win is always at the forefront of her mind, so is giving back to the community.

The Chicago Wolves are five-time league champions on the ice, something Mahoney is quite proud of.

“I feel privileged to have the job I have,” Mahoney said. “I get to go to work every day and try and make a difference for someone.”

She describes it as a job of a lifetime and lets her live out her two greatest passions: Sports and giving back.

“I love sports and the beauty of sports is there is like a guaranteed audience every night,” Mahoney said. “There’s always people that you could reach out to, whether it was raising awareness or raising dollars.”

Throughout her 26 year career, Mahoney has always made it a priority to give back.

“Everything from a Silver Lining Foundation to Special Olympics, to Erika’s Lighthouse, it’s just a gamut,” she said. “We feel that every little bit we can raise covers a cause.”

Under her direction, the five-time league champions, support at least 14 organizations under the umbrella of the Chicago Wolves Charities, including a monthly opportunity to adopt a dog.

“We walk them on the ice,” she said. “We do a little video that you can meet these guys.”

To date, nearly 1,600 dogs have found forever homes through the Wolves efforts.

In 2010, the Chicago Wolves Charities began a partnership with a Silver Lining Foundation, helping to fund nearly 1,500 mammograms.

“What I loved about it was it’s so clear cute that every $175 buys a mammogram for someone who can’t afford one,” Mahoney said.

Silver Lining Founder Dr. Sandy Goldberg is grateful to Mahoney for bringing attention to the foundation.

“So when you go to a Wolves event, it’s like your with family,” Goldberg said. “And that is certainly what causes the Wolves and certainly Courtney to stand out. She is a human being who gets what loving and caring is all about.”

In addition to fundraising, the team works to bring awareness to important causes by occasionally designing and auctioning off jerseys.

Mahoney said the team’s charity work is a collective effort from the top down. And that includes the players and the fans.

Of course, they are hoping to ring in more championships as the seasons go on.

“Trust me, the edict is definitely to win a championship, but outside of that, community is a huge part of the organization,” Mahoney said.

Next week, Wolves players will be donning commemorative jerseys to highlight mental health awareness.