December 20, 2012
Harrison Barnes Throws Adidas Shopping Spree for 10 Boys and Girls
On Thursday, December 20, Warriors Forward Harrison Barnes hosted 10 children from across the Bay Area to participate in a shopping spree at the adidas Sport Performance store in San Francisco’s Westfield Shopping Centre (865 Market Street # 121 & 211, 94103). Each child was able to walk around the store with Barnes and purchase up to $500 of adidas apparel including a new pair of shoes, t-shirt, pants and an accessory.
“I am happy I get to work with adidas and the Warriors to be able to give backs to the kids in the Bay Area this holiday season. I know for many, items like a t-shirt, shorts or shoes can go a long way,” Barnes said.
The attending children were winners of an essay and video contest on Warriors.com in which contestants were asked to explain why they should spend an afternoon with the explosive first year player. Several wining essays were written by members of Boys & Girls Clubs across the Bay Area, an organization that Barnes participated in during his upbringing in Ames, IA. Earlier this season, Barnes purchased 15 season tickets for Bay Area Boys & Girls Clubs to use throughout the regular season.
“When I was younger I participated in Shop with a Cop in Ames, Iowa, where underprivileged kids had a chance to go shopping with the police department,” Barnes recalled. “So I know how important it is to have gifts for the holidays, and to share that experience with someone in the community you look up to makes it even better.”
Barnes treated these 10 boys and girls, ages 6-15, to the shopping spree after reading their touching stories about succeeding in sports and school despite personal setbacks and financial hardships. Some of the children wrote about helping to raise their brothers and sisters after a parent left, about taking shelter in the Bay Area following hurricane Katrina, or about a sister who recently lost a fight with bone cancer. After meeting them, Barnes felt there were no children more deserving of a positive holiday experience than the ten who joined him that afternoon.
“Everyone comes from a different background, and a lot of these kids don’t want iPods or Xboxes, but clothes that can keep them work and they can play in,” Barnes said. “My favorite part of the day was the kids asking me which shoe I play in, and to see how excited they were that they could play in the adidas shoe that I use.”
Holidays with Harrison presented by adidas is part of the Warriors 15 Plays for the Holidays community outreach initiative that runs until the end of December in an effort to enrich the lives of Bay Area children and families this holiday season. 15 Plays for the Holidays will include a minimum 15 events with each Warriors player participating in at least one event throughout the campaign. This is the first event in the Warriors three-year partnership with adidas, the official retail supplier of the Warriors and the NBA.