Matt Lorch

Your past doesn’t define you — your resilience does!👊💯 Sam Darnold was once written off…
Labeled a bust…
Cast aside from team to team.
But today? He’s a Super Bowl champion with the Seahawks!!!🏆

From doubters to believers…
from journeyman to champion…
He didn’t just show up — he evolved, persevered, and rewrote his narrative on the biggest stage of all!🟢💙

(Image courtesy ESPN)

What a game! What a season!!!🏈
The road to the Super Bowl in the NFC runs through Seattle!🙌
How are you feeling about the Seahawks chances to win at all?

Lenny Wilkens showed us how to FEEL and LIVE like CHAMPIONS!🏆🙏
Compete hard... but treat others with kindness and compassion. That's what Coach Wilkens taught me (starting when I was a little boy)!

I had the opportunity to connect with the NBA legend on several occasions as an adult.
Pictured here with my mom, when I hosted a fundraiser for Northwest Kidney Centers in 2019. Coach Wilkens was the keynote speaker.
My former co-anchor Marni Hughes and I interviewed him a handful of times at FOX 13 Seattle (photo taken in 2017).

Meeting your childhood idols is special!🤩
It's hard not to be in awe. He's an NBA Hall of Famer as a coach AND player, and third in all-time NBA coaching wins.
Every time I chatted with him, Mr. Wilkens was thoughtful, engaging, empathetic, and deeply committed to this community.

I was six years old when the Seattle SuperSonics, coached by Wilkens, won the NBA championship -- the first professional sports championship in Seattle.
Every kid in school had a "Sonics World Champs" t-shirt. I had several. Coach Wilkens made our region FEEL like champions!

His Lenny Wilkens Foundation worked to give every child the opportunities to thrive.
Another example of Lenny LIVING like a CHAMPION... by being a champion for others!!!👏

THANK YOU Lenny, for the memories you gave us on the court and the lasting gifts you gave us off it! 🙏

We hope to continue to make you proud -- and LIVE like the CHAMPIONS you taught us to be!!!🙌

Savoring every moment before our daughter goes back to college! On this night, a dad/daughter dinner and ice cream!😃🍦

Rolling into sophomore year… with some serious SWAGGER!🤘♿️

Celebrating the sweet sounds of turning 16!!!🥳🎂🎉

We WENT WILD with a record-breaking $2.4 MILLION raised and counting at Jungle Party for Woodland Park Zoo!!! 🐒🦒🐢🦓🦉
Such an unforgettable night! Feeling fortunate to share the stage with my friend and co-auctioneer Fred Northup, Jr., while serving as co-auctioneer/co-host!🎤

I grew up going to Woodland Park Zoo. Now, we take our kids there to learn about magnificent wild animals and the importance of conservation -- so those creatures are around for generations to come!

Big thanks to Zoo President and CEO Alejandro Grajal (pictured), Chief Development Officer Sarah Valentine (pictured), Donor Relations Manager Dinger, and the entire team at Woodland Park Zoo who worked so hard to put on a world-class fundraising event!🙌

Props to our dedicated Jungle Party Co-Chairs Anders Brown and Monica Brown (pictured), for their commitment to making this year's event a record breaker!👏

A special thank you to SUPER SUPPORTERS like Chef Ethan Stowell (artfully disguised as a bear), for joining us on stage and contributing in so many ways!🤩

And THANK YOU to all of the 600-plus generous donors and supporters who helped make this year's Jungle Party "Nature's Homecoming", creating a brighter future for wildlife where people and animals thrive together!!! 🦍🦩🦦🐻🐅🐸

The best therapy to recover from major back surgery... Puppy Companionship! 🐶🥰🐾

After our son's successful spinal fusion surgery, a moment of deep appreciation for the dedicated medical professionals at Seattle Children's!🙏
The image on the left is the "before." Our son with cerebral palsy had a 70% curvature in his spine, due to muscle tone imbalances.
The image on the right is the "after." Using metal rods, screws, and bone grafts to stabilize, you can see how straight his spine is now! 😮

My wife and I want to share our sincere gratitude to the surgical team, lead by Dr. Jennifer Bauer, who performed the spinal fusion surgery, and Dr. Samuel Browd, who replaced our son's baclofen pump catheter -- and the team of surgical professionals who supported them!🙌

We also want to thank all of the caring and devoted nurses, including inpatient orthopedic nurse practitioner Brenda Eng, doctors, physical therapists, occupational therapists, and other specialists who treated us like family during our 6-day recovery at the hospital. 👊

Super proud of our son! 🤩 He's one tough dude – once again teaching me so much about the power of courage, resilience, and determination following his 8th surgery at the hospital.

We're back home now.
Recovering... and feeling tremendously fortunate to have received such responsive, patient-centered, and compassionate care. ❤️

Feeling ENERGIZED 🥳🙌 with 8 auctions over the next 10 nights, supporting nonprofits that will make our beloved community even stronger!!!💪
Including (in order of events):
• Summit Community Center
• Burke Museum
• Little Bit Therapeutic Riding Center
• Duke's Damsel on a Train Foundation
• American Heart Association
• Jubilee Women's Center
• St. Benedict Catholic School, Seattle
• Haring Center for Inclusive Education
In advance to all of the donors and supporters... THANK YOU!🙏
📷: the talented Keith Brofsky

It was hard for me not to smile while holding this puppy🐶--while being grateful The NOAH Center recently rescued 24 puppies living in deplorable conditions in a camped trailer near Yakima. The were vulnerable and had nowhere to go. Without hesitation, The NOAH Center took them in, cared for them, and is finding them loving homes! 👏

The NOAH Center, Washington State's first no-kill animal shelter, rescued over 4,000 animals last year alone—bringing its total to nearly 60,000 lives saved since it first opened. 🐾🐈‍⬛🐕

It's part of the reason it was such an honor for me to serve as host and auctioneer for "Laugh Your Tail Off" this past Friday, as more than 400 people showed up for a live auction, paddle raise, and comedy night to support The NOAH Center and stop the euthanasia of health dogs and cats! 🥳

Big thanks to Stacie Ventura, Jennifer Holocker, and all the dedicated NOAH Center staffers and volunteers who worked so hard to make the event such a success! 🙌

Thanks to volunteer and auction reader for the night, the dynamic Nathan Bogle, who joined me on stage for the FUN!🎤

Props to the hilarious comedian Zoltan Kaszas -- who absolutely crushed it! 🤣

And THANK YOU to all of the generous donors who showed up and stepped up, so we can find more loving homes for adoptable pets!🐱🐶