At the same time, the team has launched www.2012PickNick.com as the place to go for all things NBA Lottery and Draft related, as well as to make donations to support the Children’s Tumor Foundation and Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital for Rehabilitation. Last year Gilbert served as the 2011 National Children’s Tumor Foundation (CTF) Ambassador and helped raise more than $100,000 for the cause, including a match by Dan Gilbert, during his NBA Lottery and Draft journey. He also secured the rights to the #1 and #4 overall NBA Draft picks.
“We’re going to give it our best shot to go back-to-back and secure another great pick for Cleveland!” said teenage Gilbert.
Nick was born with Neurofibromatosis (NF) and has successfully and courageously beat the odds and battled the disease his entire life. This year, Nick hopes to raise funds not only for CTF, but also for families and children who are battling hard to beat the odds at The Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital for Rehabilitation. Specifically, the Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital for Rehabilitation donation will build a new “family room” space for the children and their families to enjoy time together outside of their hospital rooms. This continues the Cavaliers’ Legacy Project at the Children’s Hospital for Rehabilitation where the team built outdoor basketball courts last summer.
New this year, the Cavaliers are working in partnership with Cincinnati, Ohio-based BowTie Cause to support Nick Gilbert’s fundraising efforts. Founded in May 2010 by former NFL (Giants, Eagles and Bengals) player Dhani Jones, BowTie Cause created a platform that challenges people to rock a BowTie for a cause they believe in and support. Nick’s new signature bowtie will debut at the lottery event next Wednesday night, May 30th. Fans can also order Nick’s bowtie at www.2012PickNick.com, www.cavs.com, www.BowTieCause.org, or at the Cavaliers Team Shop at Quicken Loans Arena in downtown Cleveland. All proceeds from the sale of the bowtie will be donated to the Children’s Tumor Foundation and the Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital for Rehabilitation. Dhani Jones will also join the Cavaliers lottery team at the lottery event in New York City.
As part of Nick’s role, he will be using social media to share his special experience as the Cavaliers official on-stage representative via his Twitter account @CavsNick. Nick will be Tweeting starting immediately and continuing through the lottery event and draft, including behind-the-scenes photos and special chances to win exclusive Cavaliers, Fathead and other very special prizes.
Fans and media alike are invited and encouraged to follow @CavsNick on Twitter and re-tweet Nick’s tweets to share the fun and help the causes. To “follow” @CavsNick, please visit www.Twitter.com/CavsNick now. Fans can also follow the Cavs at @Cavs and Dan Gilbert at @CavsDan.
The Cavs currently have one lottery pick (could be as high as #1, but no lower than #6) in the upcoming NBA Draft on June 28th, plus an additional first round pick (24th overall), and two early second round picks (33rd and 34th overall), giving the Cavs four of the top 34 picks overall. The lottery drawing will determine which specific lottery pick the Cavaliers will receive in the draft. After winning a tie-breaker with the New Orleans Hornets held in April, the Cavs have the third-most ping pong ball combinations in the lottery with 138 (out of 1,000 total combinations used in the lottery). Last year, the Cavaliers won the 2011 NBA Draft Lottery with a lottery pick acquired from the Los Angeles Clippers as part of a trade made with the Clippers at the trade deadline, which held only a 2.8 percent chance of winning.
About the Children’s Tumor Foundation: The Children’s Tumor Foundation www.ctf.org is dedicated to improving the health and well-being of the more than 1 in 3,000 children born with Neurofibromatosis (NF), a nerve disorder that causes tumors to grow throughout the body at any time. The Foundation has played a key role in the discovery of the genes that cause NF, understanding the biology of NF, creation of the NF Clinic Network, and the screening of drug compounds that appear promising in treating the disorder. The Foundation is a recipient of Charity Navigator’s highest rating.
About the Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital for Rehabilitation
In addition to the Children’s Hospital presence on the Cleveland Clinic main campus, exists one of a few free-standing pediatric rehabilitation facilities in the nation (only one in Ohio), with the country’s only accredited pediatric pain program. The Children’s Hospital for Rehabilitation offers both inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation and therapy services for children with chronic conditions or those recovering from a trauma, surgery, or an acute hospital stay. It is also home to the renowned Cleveland Clinic Center for Autism, which encompasses the Lerner School for Autism. The Shaker Campus admits over 230 patients a year with an average length of stay of 28 days. For 25% of our patients, the average length of stay is 90+ days. In addition, over 15,000 therapy services appointments take place and 110 children are enrolled in the Lerner School for Autism on an annual basis. For more information, visit www.clevelandclinic.org.
About the BowTie Cause: In 2000, Dhani Jones was a rookie linebacker with the New York Giants and it was his first time living in the big city. His good friend Kunta Littlejohn had some advice and challenged him by saying, “If you want to be anybody, you gotta rock a BowTie.” Dhani thought he was crazy and dismissed it. At the time, Kunta was going through a tough recovery process from battling Stage 4 Lymphoma and Dhani was searching for an avenue to support him. As clarity begets action, Dhani made the decision to don his first BowTie in quiet support for his good friend. Today, Kunta has fully recovered and Dhani is still rockin’ a BowTie. In May 2010, Dhani launched the BowTie Cause to create a platform that challenges people to rock a BowTie for a cause they believe in. What began as a way to support his friend has now become a philanthropic endeavor that supports others and their respective causes. Rock a BowTie…Champion a Cause. For more information, visit www.BowTieCause.org.