At six events over five days, the Cleveland Cavaliers traveled more than 700 miles while reaching over 1,200 people and donating 470 hours of service along with desktop computers, books, pens, pencils and notebooks, t-shirts, basketballs and Fatheads.
As part of the 2010 NBA Week of Service (October 18th- 25th), the Cavaliers gave back to communities throughout Ohio with a variety of hands-on service projects while encouraging volunteerism and generating awareness about the importance of community service. Six outreach activities and events took place over five days in Cincinnati and Columbus while the team was on the road for preseason games, ending with a final service project at Cleveland’s own Edgewater Park.
The 2010 Week of Service served as a grand finale to an incredible preseason month of October off the court, which included raising more than $225,000.
“The Cavaliers organization is proud to be part of our community and we know how important it is to give back, especially when it comes to children,” said Cavaliers General Manager Chris Grant. “We were happy to be able to also extend this community outreach from northeast Ohio into Cincinnati and Columbus with such a variety of events during this special NBA Week of Service. It was a great week and it’s been a great month for the Cavaliers on and off the court.”
Cavaliers Week of Service Events Included:
Monday, October 18th – Basketball 101
It was All for One. One for All. when the Cavaliers tipped off the NBA Week of Service in the Cincinnati community. Assistant Coaches Chris Jent, Jamahl Mosley and Joe Prunty, along with players Jamario Moon, Daniel Gibson, Joey Graham, Leon Powe and Manny Harris gave 100 children from the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Cincinnati their own training camp experience. During the camp, kids took part in shooting, ball handling and defensive drills as the coaches and players spoke about their experiences in the NBA and the importance of hard work. Additionally, Quicken Loans contributed desktop computers, basketballs and books for the club’s teen center. View Photo Gallery
Your browser does not support iframes.
Tuesday, October 19th – Read to Achieve
The Cavaliers continued their outreach activities in Cincinnati before defeating the Philadelphia 76ers in a preseason matchup at U.S. Bank Arena. Tuesday afternoon the Cavs dance teams, the Scream Team and Cavalier Girls, worked together to build a Reading and Learning Corner for 420 students at the Frederick Douglass Elementary School. In addition to donating hundreds of books, school supplies and Cavs merchandise, the volunteers held a “Reading Timeout” where they read books throughout the 11 different classrooms and showcased a high-energy dance performance to get students energized for learning. View Photo Gallery
Your browser does not support iframes.
Wednesday, October 20th - Foodbank Frenzy
Wednesday’s Week of Service double-header had the Cavaliers serving all over Columbus, starting at the Mid-Ohio Foodbank. The Scream Team, Cavalier Girls and Cavs staffers did the heavy lifting as they spent two hours packing boxes of non-perishable food items. The 8,000 pounds of food totaling 263 boxes will be shipped to more than 500 food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, after-school programs and senior housing sites across central and eastern Ohio. View Photo Gallery
Your browser does not support iframes.
Hot Meals for Hungry Friends – Later that day, Cavs players Anderson Varejao, Anthony Parker, Jamario Moon, Ramon Sessions and Ryan Hollins along with assistant coaches Paul Pressey, Jamahl Mosley and Joe Prunty visited the Broad Street United Methodist Church to serve food to 150 people. Players and coaches teamed up with volunteers to interact and serve a hot meal to those in need. View Photo Gallery
Your browser does not support iframes.
Thursday, October 21st – Helping out Heyl
Students at Heyl Elementary School in Columbus had the chance to meet the Scream Team and Cavalier Girls during an interactive Reading Timeout of “I Hope You Dance” by Mark D. Sandres and Tia Sillers. The dance teams also performed a signature dance routine for the 290 students. Later the students were shown their brand new Reading and Learning Corner in the library donated by the Cavs organization. The donation included 400 books, Fathead wall decals, waste baskets, school supplies and basketballs. That night at the Schottenstein Center, the Cavs defeated the Milwaukee Bucks in their final preseason game. View Photo Gallery
Your browser does not support iframes.
Friday, October 22nd – Helping Hands
The team wrapped up their Week of Service outreach activities in their own backyard with an afternoon cleanup of Edgewater Park in downtown Cleveland. The Cavaliers in partnership with Charter One and FOX Sports Ohio gave a new edge to Edgewater Park as Cavs employees and volunteers spruced up the park in an afternoon spent cleaning and painting the pavilion. View Photo Gallery
Your browser does not support iframes.
The 2010 NBA Week of Service coincides with the five-year anniversary of NBA Cares, which the league and its partners launched on Oct. 18th, 2005. Through NBA Cares, the league and its teams and players have donated more than $145 million to charity, completed more than 1.4 million hours of community service and created more than 525 places where kids and families can live, learn and play.