Bobcats Bring Christmas Joy
By Malinda Murray
December 20, 2007
Christmas came a few days early for the kids at the Salvation Army Women and Children’s Center as the Bobcats hosted a special holiday party there on Thursday.
As the kids entered the room, they were greeted with what had to be a dream come true, two long tables set up with more than 250 toys, ranging from footballs to dolls and everything in between. While tables loaded with toys would be enough to excite any kid it wasn’t the only special thing in store for the children as Bobcats guard Matt Carroll, forward Jermareo Davidson and mascot Rufus Lynx dropped by to help with the celebration.
Once the players and Rufus were introduced to the crowd of cheering children, the fun got underway. One table at a time, the kids were invited up and given 30 seconds to select a toy of their choice. The players and Rufus helped out as the kids ran around eagerly looking for the perfect toy. Once each table had gone, the rotation started in inverse order with the children having the opportunity to select toys until the tables were empty.
The toys themselves came from a special place as they were donated by children who attended the Bobcats Holiday Party for Kids.
“It looks like they are going to have a pretty good Christmas,” remarked Davidson. “Everyone seemed excited. It was a big scramble out there but it looked like it turned out pretty good.”
The smiles on the kids’ faces seemed to stretch from ear to ear as they admired their toys and showed them off to their friends.
Jalen, an 8-year old boy, dressed in a Jr. Bobcats jersey couldn’t contain his excitement as he talked about the gifts he had received.
“I got a Spiderman thing and a football. I got all kinds of toys!” he exclaimed. “I have a basketball and I got a book signed by Jermareo. I got a lot of stuff.”
Jalen was also thrilled to be able to meet the Bobcats in person. He couldn’t hide his disbelief when he asked and found out that Jermareo Davidson wore a size 18 shoe.
“It was cool because I got to see how tall they really are and how tall I can be if I become a basketball player,” he said.
Once all the toys had been distributed, Carroll took a few minutes to speak to the kids.
“We as players looked forward to coming here and spending this evening with you. Always remember, you have friends at the Bobcats,” he told them.
Following Carroll’s remarks, the kids all joined together and sang We Wish You A Merry Christmas.
The night was one that will help brighten the lives of these kids who are going through a tough situation.
“When you’re homeless and living in a shelter and it’s the holidays, you can’t make up for not being in a home, so doing something special like having like having the Bobcats come out and having Rufus here makes a big difference for our kids and it helps brighten up a down time for us,” said Deronda Metz, a director at the Salvation Army.
The Bobcats also enjoyed the opportunity to help those in need.
“It always means something to me,” Davidson said as he talked about coming out and doing something to help others. “I always like to give of myself. I like to put a smile on their face and do whatever to make their day better.”
“It’s a great experience for us and for the Bobcats just to come out here and give back to these kids and see how excited they are getting,” said Carroll. “For us, it’s a lot of fun. The situation we are in, we’ve been pretty blessed and it’s just about us giving back now.”
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