Thunder guard Anthony Morrow is still a newcomer to Oklahoma City, so it was serendipitous that he had a reminder of home at his very first community appearance with the team.
On Tuesday, Morrow and fellow guard Reggie Jackson stopped by Positive Tomorrows, a local transitional school for children who are either homeless, living in shelters or have other difficult home circumstances.
The Thunder duo helped each child pick out books to take home out of the Rolling Thunder Book Bus, presented by American Fidelity, and at one point a familiar sound hit Morrow. Back on a school bus for the first time in likely over a decade, the 28 year-old Morrow was struck with the vivid memory of his mother, who was a school bus driver for his middle school in North Carolina.
“I heard the little bus alarm go off when you open the back door up and it brought back those memories when she used to drive back when I was younger,” Morrow explained.
Morrow is already extremely active in the community back in his hometown of Charlotte with the Anthony Morrow Foundation, which he and his mother run together. However, Tuesday’s trip was special for him because it is one of many ways in which the veteran sharpshooter will be integrated into the Thunder and Oklahoma City cultures over the ensuing months before the season begins.
“I love giving back to the community,” Morrow said. “It was good for me just to give back and be in the new community where I’ll be playing. To be around the people in the community is a good feeling.”
Each of the 56 students that walked onto the bus on Tuesday received a book, a wristband and a bookmark, but also an opportunity to meet and interact with Morrow and Jackson. Positive Tomorrow’s Chairman of the Board Todd Lechtenberger remarked after the event about just how special this opportunity was for the children at the school, many of whom don’t own any books, have never been to a Thunder game and may not have a role model encouraging them to read or learn.
“These kids are going to remember this for the rest of their lives,” Lechtenberger said. “This is absolutely fantastic, especially for these kids who probably don’t get out to see games and things like that. They only see things on TV. This is a one-of-a-kind experience.”
For as much as the students benefitted from the visit by the Thunder pair and the Book Bus, it was Morrow and Jackson who came away both touched and impressed at the same time. The kids at Positive Tomorrows generally live in places like the City Rescue Mission, Salvation Army Family Shelter or another transitional living arrangement, but despite hardships, all had an upbeat, positive attitude and an excitement to get a new book.
Jackson walked away from the experience with a respect for the courage, intelligence and happiness of the children, and it made him feel fortunate to have the opportunity to give back.
“They’re strong,” Jackson said of the kids. “They had smiles on their faces. They acted like it didn’t affect them at all. They’re great. They lit up my day and I’m sure they lit up Anthony’s.”
“Once you find out, that really touches home a little more and touches your heart,” Jackson said. “You look back and count your blessings. You think, ‘I don’t know why I’m in the position I am in, and why I’ve been blessed to the extent that I have been?’ It reminds me that I’ve been blessed no matter what I’m going through.”