The Checkers held a fundraiser during their first-round home playoff games and helped raise $20,662 for three local victims of the bombings at the Boston Marathon .

The team generated funds through Chuck-A-Puck sales, T-shirt and Be Strong Stay Strong bracelet sales, a jersey auction and proceeds from Checkers tickets sold at Charlotte Athletic Club. Additionally, Checkers defenseman Michal Jordan auctioned his skates from his first NHL game on Twitter, raising $600, and the Checkers matched all funds raised with a donation from the team’s charitable foundation.

Nicole and Michael Gross and Nicole’s sister, Erika Brannock, were all injured in the first explosion on April 15 while cheering on Nicole and Erika's mother at the finish line. The Charlotte Athletic Club established the Be Strong Stay Strong Fund and 100 percent of donations will assist the Gross and Brannock family with their medical, physical and emotional needs, as well as lost income and unexpected expenses during their recovery.

For more information on Be Strong Stay Strong or to donate to the cause, visit www.bestrongstaystrong.net.