Cats Host Holiday Shopping Spree for Kids
By Caroline Sikes
bobcats.com
December 14, 2012
As part of the NBA Cares Season of Giving program, the Charlotte Bobcats, Lady Cats and Rufus took underprivileged children on a shopping spree at the Target store in Midtown Charlotte followed by dinner from Bojangles on December 14.
The outing was sponsored by the Bobcats community service initiative, Cats Care, which provided each child with a $150 gift card. The kids were paired up with players and Lady Cats and given 20 minutes to race around Target to pick out presents. The players were just as excited as the kids when it came to finding toys. Brendan Haywood said, “My good buddy Jordan likes a lot of trucks and trains… that’s what he wanted and we went and got it.”
Forty kids from the Salvation Army Center of Hope Women’s and Children’s Shelter, Hope Haven and Church of God Children’s Home of North Carolina got the surprise of a lifetime when they found out about the shopping trip and meeting the Charlotte Bobcats.
Ramon Sessions put it all in perspective for how exciting it is for young kids to be able to meet their role models. He said “Me, being from South Carolina and not having an NBA team there, if I could’ve had something like this happen to me it would have meant the world to me and I know it means the world to those kids. It’s just a blessing to come and do this.”
Bobcats Sports & Entertainment is dedicated to serving in the areas of education, hunger and wellness. The Charlotte Bobcats are known for being active in the community and hosting different opportunities to give back to the local area.
When asked about the importance of being involved in the local community and interacting with the children, Kemba Walker said, “I don’t think a lot of these kids expect us to be as down to earth as we are. It’s just a great environment. It humbles us, puts everything in perspective and it’s just fun.”