On Valentine’s Day, the Bobcats showed their love and appreciation for their fans of all ages as they headed out into the Charlotte community to celebrate the second annual Random Acts of Kindness Day.

Random Acts of Kindness Day actually began on Monday when Emeka Okafor and Gerald Wallace signed special Valentine’s Day cards in the main lobby of Charlotte Bobcats Arena for fans attending that night’s game against Portland.

The Bobcats first stop on Tuesday was at the Charlotte Health Care Center where Lonny Baxter, Primoz Brezec, Melvin Ely, Raymond Felton, Jumaine Jones and Gerald Wallace joined the residents for several rounds of Bingo.

Wallace took charge as the caller of the game, keeping everybody in suspense as he pulled the balls from the wheel. He also kept a close eye on everyone’s cards to see what letter and number combinations were needed.

“It was great today to come and hang with these people,” he said. “We had a great time here. We met some nice people and had a couple of fun games of Bingo.”

With Wallace calling the combinations, the rest of the Bobcats players joined the residents at the tables with Bingo cards in hand. The moans and groans could be heard throughout the room as the Bingo players, needing just one number, didn’t hear it called.

The players’ competitive side began to show through as they implored Wallace to call the combination that they, along with those seated at their table needed for the win.

The table with Felton and Jones emerged as the big winner, tallying up three victories.

“It’s been so long since I played Bingo,” said Jones. “I had forgotten how fun it was. I had a good time, and my group got us three wins today. I think it meant a lot for us to come out on Valentine’s Day and play Bingo with them.”

In addition to playing Bingo, the Bobcats brought special Valentine’s gifts for all the residents.

“It meant a great deal for the Bobcats to take time to come out here and meet with our residents, spend time with them and do with them their favorite activity, which is Bingo,” said Debra Harwell, the administrator at Charlotte Health Care Center. “It put them in the spotlight for the first time in a long time. It gives them a piece of the outside and really brightens their spirits and makes Valentine’s Day really special for them.”

Long lines, smiling faces, warm Valentines wishes, and lots of sharpies greeted the Bobcats at their next stop.

Alan Anderson, Kevin Burleson, Matt Carroll, Brevin Knight, Sean May, Emeka Okafor, Bernard Robinson and Kareem Rush traveled to Carolina Place Mall Tuesday from 4:00-5:00 p.m. to sign personalized Valentine’s Day cards and greet some of their biggest fans.

Autograph seekers from all over flocked to center court, bringing with them all sorts of different objects to be signed, while giving them the chance to meet and interact with their favorite players as they visited each table.

For the players, it was another chance to get out and express their thanks to fans on an individual level.

“If I was a little kid and I saw a group of guys up close that I was used to watching on TV, it would be important to me, “ commented forward Bernard Robinson. “The fans are very important; they are the people that make us go.”

Many individuals walked away from the scene with a Valentine’s Day memory they may never forget.

Brad and Jeannie Griffith drove over an hour with their three sons to be a part of the event and couldn’t have been happier with the end result.

“As a family, we’ve been autograph collectors for quite some time now,” Brad said. “These guys are one of the most fan friendly groups we’ve ever come across. My wife and I really appreciate how nice they’ve been to our three sons.”

With each participant being touched in their own unique and personal way, two things everyone in attendance left with were a personalized Valentine’s keepsake and a smile on their face.

“We are excited about getting out into the community to interact with and give back to our fans,” said Bobcats Vice President of Community Relations LaRita Barber. “Last year’s Random Acts of Kindness Day was a lot of fun for the players and those that they touched, and we are happy to be able to make this an annual tradition.”