Rob Riggle takes home ‘Lego Masters’ trophy, $10,000 for Children’s Mercy
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — For two nights over the course of four episodes Rob Riggle built holiday masterpieces out of Lego on the FOX show, “Lego Masters: Celebrity Holiday Bricktacular.” He had a little, OK probably a lot of help from Lego Master Krystle Starr.
At the show’s conclusion Riggle and Starr were crowned Lego Masters, earning $10,000 for Big Slick and Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City. That $10,000 will add to the more than $22 million raised over the last 14 years.
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He and a group of fellow Hollywood celebrities who call Kansas City home have been building the charity event he was competing for on the show since 2010.
“I want to win because of the charity that I’m supporting. We created this event every year called Big Slick for Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City. That’s my hometown and it is an amazing hospital,” Riggle told host Will Arnett.
Children’s Mercy Hospital Chief Development Officer Jenea Oliver watched with pride.
“When Rob says ‘kids lives are changed everyday’ he is so accurate. We diagnose a child with cancer unfortunately every other day at Children’s Mercy, so the dollars raised through Big Slick go to touch those children, their care and their families.”
Since it’s inception in 2010 with Riggle, Jason Sudekis and Paul Rudd, the event has grown adding hosts Eric Stonestreet, David Koechner and most recently Heidi Gardner. There’s now a celebrity softball game at Kauffman Stadium and a gala that raised a record $3.5 million last year.
But Oliver says the most impactful moments often happen in hospital rooms as celebrities like Riggle form bonds with patients and deliver a message of hope.
“A lot of our families will say in addition to the dollars that Big Slick brings to Children’s Mercy, what is so meaningful to them is knowing that these hosts guys like Rob and their celebrity friends care and making awareness for what they are dealing with everyday.”
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“I’ve seen the good work they’ve done and it’s life changing. I think now we say the train is coming from the North Pole to Children’s Mercy Hospital,” Riggle said as he designed a train for the first episode.
While most people in Kansas City know about Big Slick and the hospital it benefits, it’s hard to quantify just how much it means for that message shared nationwide to everyone watching Lego Masters – a show hospital staff report is usually pretty popular among children in their hospital beds.
Riggle said at the show’s conclusion he was happy to take home the trophy and money for all of the doctors, nurses, and patients at Children’s Mercy.
