He may not have been Santa Claus, but for four local recipients of the Blue KC Sporting Samaritan award, Sporting Kansas City captain Matt Besler was the next best thing.
At the end of 2019, Besler visited a quartet of local elementary and middle schools for surprise visits to teachers who were named Blue KC Sporting Samaritans throughout the year.
As the ringleader of Sporting's initiative with Blue KC, Besler visited Preston Hickert of Heritage Middle School in Liberty, Missouri; Tiffany Peeler of Walden Middle School in Kansas City, Missouri; Cara Martin of Wolf Springs Elementary School in Bucyrus, Kansas; and Dustin Springer of Rosehill Elementary School in Lenexa, Kansas.
Each teacher was recognized as a Blue KC Sporting Samaritan in 2019 for his or her positive impact in the community, making Kansas City a better place to live, work and play.
Sporting and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City will once again team up throughout 2020 to recognize Blue KC Sporting Samaritans, honoring students and teachers for their praiseworthy roles in the community. Once a month, a Samaritan will be recognized on the pitch at Children's Mercy Park before a Sporting home match. The Samaritan and a limited number of guests will receive a behind-the-scenes VIP experience with a wide variety of all-inclusive perks.
Supporters can nominate members of their community to be the next Blue KC Sporting Samaritan at SportingKC.com/BlueKC.
