Washington Capitals center Nic Dowd and his wife Paige founded a chairty called Dowd’s Crowd last season, which helps children on the autism spectrum attend hockey games.

“I saw how the day-to-day life of the parents can be challenging, and going to events that would be easy for some parents are more difficult for others,” Paige said. “Nic and I wanted to make it a safe environment for kids.”

Now the couple is combining with several of Nic’s Capitals teammates including TJ Oshie and Garnet Hathaway for a holiday auction that benefits DC school children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

You can bid on the available items here.

“Engaging with the autism community is incredibly important to Paige and me, and we are grateful for any support toward our program,” Nic said in a release. “Paige and I founded Dowd’s Crowd to provide children with autism the opportunity to comfortably attend Capitals games, and we are excited to continue to expand our efforts this holiday season through the fundraiser.”

Items available include signed sticks, photos, and jerseys as well as holiday-themed Zoom calls. Capitals fans who wish to donate can do so as well through Handbid.

“Just with COVID and everything, a lot of this stuff is being lost on a lot of these kids because, to be honest, the parents and our organization too, the Capitals, we’re dealing with a lot of different issues,” Dowd said to NHL.com. “So it was important for us to support the autism community however we can and I think we wanted to be able to spread some holiday cheer for some kids who were diagnosed with autism in the DC community.

“We’re really excited about it,” he added.

More from the Capitals:

Nic and Paige Dowd Launch Dowd’s Crowd Holiday Fundraiser
Proceeds Benefit Families of DC Public Schools Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder

ARLINGTON, Va. – Capitals forward Nic Dowd and his wife Paige, through MSE Foundation, have launched a Dowd’s Crowd holiday fundraiser benefitting families of DC Public Schools (DCPS) students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The auction is currently open at washcaps.com/dowdscrowd and concludes Friday, Dec. 18, at 3 p.m. Proceeds will be used to purchase gift cards and spread holiday cheer to the families.

Select items available at auction in the fundraiser include a 15-minute holiday-themed Zoom call with Nic Dowd and teammate Garnet Hathaway intended for up to five children accompanied by five adults, a stick signed by Dowd, a Capitals jersey signed by T.J. Oshie, and autographed photos by select Capitals players.

In addition, fans can donate pre-determined amounts to the fundraiser, starting at $10. Fans can also purchase an autographed Dowd photo for $100. There is also a virtual meet and greet for up to eight guests with Nic and Paige Dowd available for $1,000. In addition, there is an experience that includes two of the Dowd’s personal lower-bowl tickets to a future Capitals home game and post-game meet and greet with Dowd for $1,500.

The Dowds created Dowd’s Crowd in 2018 to provide the opportunity for children with sensory issues to be able to attend and enjoy a Caps game. The Dowds believe that all Caps fans should feel comfortable in the stands and they wanted to help make that happen through the program. Tickets and a Dowd’s Crowd branded sensory kit are provided to recipients and the Dowds meet the families postgame. The Dowds were inspired to launch the program due to Paige’s education in Speech Pathology in college.