By John Denton
Nov. 25, 2015
ORLANDO – As the elderly lady excitedly gazed down into her grocery bag and saw a 15-pound turkey, a box of stuffing, a jar of gravy, cans corn and green beans and a full pumpkin pie, Tobias Harris got the attention of Dewayne Dedmon so that the two of them could savor the moment.
What the two Orlando Magic teammates witnessed next warmed their hearts and dealt them a heaping helping of perspective.
``The lady had tears streaming down her face and in her eyes and I told Dewayne, `Wow, she’s crying,’’’ said Harris, still somewhat touched himself minutes later. ``Stuff like that just reminds you that, us as athletes, we’re blessed to have meals every day and we take it for granted sometimes. But a moment like that puts into perspective what these meals mean to people.
``Just hearing them say `thank you’ is special. Some of them are in awe to even talk – not because we’re athletes – but because they are so happy knowing that they will have a great meal now on Thanksgiving,’’ Harris continued. ``That’s the true meaning of Thanksgiving – being thankful of what you have, but at the same time giving back to somebody else and doing something to make their day.’’
Harris, Dedmon, Amway and the Magic made the day of 450 pre-selected families from the Parramore, Englewood and Rosemont areas on Tuesday by handing out turkeys and all of the fixings for a Thanksgiving Day feast. Approximately two dozen Magic staffers teamed up with Harris, Dedmon and City of Orlando District 3 Commissioner Robert Stuart to form an assembly line so that they could pass out the meals to families.
Lines extended out the doors, around the corner and down two sidewalks of the Rosemont Community Center. Once inside, fans were allowed to take family pictures along with Magic community ambassadors Nick Anderson and Bo Outlaw. Then, came the chance to snag enough supplies to make sure that there will be enough food to go around on Thanksgiving Day.
``This is wonderful for the Magic to come out here and help people. Whatever seeds you sew, that’s what you will reap in life,’’ said Marjorie Shields, a resident of the Rosemont community. ``This day is a blessing for all of us. This time of year, everybody wants love, so it’s good to get that love from the Magic.’’
Magic Chief Operating Officer Charlie Freeman brought his wife, Pam, and daughter, Allison, to hand out food in the line on Tuesday. It was the third straight year that Freeman has helped bring smiles to the faces of those in need. He said that this event and the Magic’s serving of Thanksgiving Day breakfast at the Coalition for the Homeless are two of his favorite traditions that the organization holds.
``To be able to partner with Amway, Tobias and the Magic at a time when we’re all thankful for what we have, it’s a small way for the Magic to give back to the community,’’ Freeman said. ``Working here with Tobias and at the Coalition, it’s just a way for us to put smiles on people’s faces and really appreciate what we all have. And it’s what the DeVos Family is all about – giving back to the community. To be a part of a franchise that gives back, it’s so special.’’
Special would be one way to describe the ear-to-ear smile splashed across the face of Richard Griffin on Tuesday after snagging some stuffing, a pumpkin pie and several cans of kernel corn and green beans. Griffin, who is a member of Rosemont Community Center’s Senior Programs, said he rarely misses a Magic game on TV and he was eager to chat with Harris about how the season was progressing.
``The Magic have great players and I watch them every night. I was just telling (Harris and Dedmon) that I’m looking out for them every night,’’ said Griffin, who said he will have about a dozen family members at his house on Thanksgiving Day to eat. ``Tobias is having a really good year and he’s always a steady guy for our team over the years. Great team, great guys and every greater people for doing something like this and giving back to the community.’’
Harris won the Rich and Helen DeVos Community Enrichment award in 2014 and he was the co-winner of the award along with teammate Victor Oladipo in 2015. Harris, who is in his fourth season with the Magic, has always been one of the team’s most active players in the community and he said he has plans of doing even more throughout Central Florida in the very near future.
``As a basketball player you can make an impression on fans while on the court and people respect that. But when you come out in the community and do something like this, people can better understand who you are as an individual,’’ said Harris, who had his brother, T.J., alongside of him on Tuesday while passing out turkeys. ``It’s about building relationships with people in the community. To have my teammate Dewayne here with me – he didn’t have to be here and he asked me about coming – that shows a lot and says a lot about him wanting to be a good person to help others.
``(Winning the community enrichment award) has made me sit down in my free time and come up with some more stuff that I can do to help out,’’ Harris continued. ``I have big goals for the city of Orlando so that I can impact kids and those who need the help. Whether it’s with my mentoring program with kids and stressing the importance of getting to college or just helping others out, I have a lot of great ideas that I want to continue to push out there so that we can help as many people as possible.’’