By John Denton
June 14, 2016
ORLANDO – Out of unspeakable tragedy has come incredible strength, perseverance and teamwork all throughout Orlando. And the hope now is that Orlando’s togetherness and resiliency will ultimately define the area more so than the heinous crime that stunned Central Florida and the nation alike.
Helping with the healing of a community still picking up the pieces from the devastation of recent events are Orlando’s professional sports teams.
In a combined effort, the Orlando Magic, Orlando City, Orlando Pride, Orlando Solar Bears and Orlando Predators joined forces to display to the nation and the world Orlando’s strength and solidarity. The Magic, Lions, Pride, Solar Bears and Predators will be selling T-shirts emblazoned with the slogan, ``#OrlandoUnited’’ and the net proceeds will be donated to the City of Orlando’s One Orlando Fund. OneOrlando.org has been set up to support those impacted by the June 12 terror attack at Pulse nightclub that left 49 people dead and another 53 victims injured.
The black, blue and purple T-shirts ($22 in adult sizes and $18 in youth sizes) will be available on Thursday (June 16) at the Orlando Magic Team Shop at Amway Center, at a pop-up store at Wall Street Plaza and at the Solar Bears offices. The T-shirts can also be purchased on the Solar Bears’ online shop (orlandosolarbearshockey.com) on Friday, at Camping World Stadium on Saturday during Orlando City’s game against San Jose and at the June 24 AFL game between the Predators and Tampa Bay at the Amway Center.
``Thanks to our local sports teams for their efforts to raise funds to support those impacted by the Pulse tragedy,’’ Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer posted on Twitter.com.
On Tuesday, the Magic committed $100,000 and the DeVos Family Foundations contributed $400,000 to the City of Orlando’s One Orlando Fund, a community foundation initiative to support and distribute funds and other services to individuals who were affected by Sunday morning’s tragic events. The Magic and the DeVos family joined others such as Disney, Darden, JetBlue, AT&T and Mears in making significant contributions to the One Orlando Fund.
``Our thoughts and prayers continue to go out to those personally affected by the loss of loved ones following this weekend’s tragedy of hate in Orlando,’’ Orlando Magic CEO Alex Martins said. ``We are proud to join with our fellow professional sports teams to assist those impacted by this tragedy and we will continue to be in contact with the City of Orlando, Red Cross, and our partner agencies such as the Zebra Coalition to provide assistance in our community.’’
The Magic have also been active in trying to help Orlando’s healing following Sunday morning’s unspeakable tragedy.
The Magic Community Relations Team mobilized at the Blood One Center on Sunday, passing out water to those donating blood. The Magic have remained in close contact with the Blood One Center and is poised to assist with an additional blood drive if supplies run low. Additionally, Magic employees have been given the freedom to visit blood banks to donate during work hours.
The Magic have been in contact with The Zebra Coalition about ways that it can assist following the 49 murders and 53 injured at Pulse, a predominantly gay nightclub near downtown Orlando. The Zebra Coalition, a network of organizations which provide services to LBGT youth, was the recipient of a $100,000 grant from the Orlando Magic Youth Foundation earlier this year.
Amway Center, home of the Magic the past six seasons, has used its main video marquis to honor and acknowledge the victims of the heinous crime. It read: ``In memory of our neighbors who have tragically been taken from us … #PrayForOrlando #OrlandoUnited’’
``Our community will heal because there are so many great things about our Central Florida community, including the fact that we are a community of inclusion and acceptance,’’ Martins said recently. ``We need to band together as we do during difficult times. And certainly the things that we have been through in the past pale in comparison to what happened to our community, and quite frankly our country and the world, over the weekend with Orlando as the focal point. Our community does a great job of coming together, whatever situation it is, that we need to come together to improve or heal and I know our community will.’’
Note: The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Orlando Magic. All opinions expressed by John Denton are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Orlando Magic or their Basketball Operations staff, partners or sponsors.