By Josh CohenDecember 18, 2012
ORLANDO -- If you’re a kid, you likely spend 364 (365 in a leap year) days thinking about what presents you will get for the December holidays. You jot down your wish list and you purposely marvel at things around your parents and other family members to insinuate what you want to see the day you start unwrapping, which for many of you is Christmas Day.
But imagine this: You are given a $100 gift card and you get to roam across a gigantic store with every type of electronic, toy or piece of clothing staring directly at you.
And to put the cherry on top, you get to escapade around the warehouse with one of your favorite professional athletes.
This sure sounds like paradise. Even full-grown adults would relish such a holiday adventure.
Well, on Tuesday with assistance from Pepsi, 75 kids from the Central Florida Boys and Girls Club were selected to go on a shopping spree at a local Walmart with the Orlando Magic’s J.J. Redick, Josh McRoberts and Andrew Nicholson.
Redick’s contributions were significant. In total, combining both gift cards and a separate donation to help support the programs at the Boys and Girls club, Redick contributed $5,000. Pepsi also donated 5K.
“We want to make sure all these kids have a great Christmas and that they understand the importance of giving,” Redick said. “I like to serve others. That’s a big part of who I am.”
“We (he and his wife Chelsea) love the Boys and Girls Club. It provides a place of safety, encouragement and it gives them a chance to grow as people,” he added.
While this was the sixth time Redick has participated in this particular event, it was a new, but fulfilling, experience for both Nicholson and McRoberts.
“It’s great to give back to kids especially when they admire and support what you do,” said McRoberts, who was acquired by the Magic this past summer in the Dwight Howard trade.
Throughout this holiday season, Magic players and the organization’s staff have spent countless hours giving back to the community.
Recently, for instance, Glen Davis, Hedo Turkoglu and Kyle O’Quinn visited the Walt Disney Pavilion at Florida Hospital and delivered gifts, signed autographs and played games with pediatric patients. Jameer Nelson, meanwhile, surprised two local families with gifts he personally bought for them.
Also, find out how you could have Redick distribute half of the Rich & Helen DeVos Community Enrichment Award winnings ($25,000) to the charity of your choice through a Twitter contest on his account, @JJRedick. Visit https://www.nba.com/magic/jj-redick-donates-25k for details.