ORLANDO - In an attempt to give fans an opportunity to help out those in need in the Central Florida community while also having a shot at winning a unique fan experience at a future NBA game, the Orlando Magic’s television and radio broadcasters will host an online donation drive in conjunction with the Christian Service Center.
Magic Hall of Fame announcer David Steele, Richie Adubato, Nick Anderson, Scott Anez, Joey Colon, Brian Hill, Paul Kennedy, Brandon Kravitz, Dante Marchitelli, Dennis Neumann and Jeff Turner will conduct the donation drive. The broadcasters have also pledged to donate to the online drive. Fans can donate by visiting https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/omyf and designating "Christian Service Center" or "Second Harvest Food Bank" in the dedication field for their donation.
Fans participating in the fundraising drive will have a shot at winning four courtside seats to a future Magic game at the Amway Center by submitting a photo or video that shows their love for Orlando and/or the Magic. All submissions should be made through Greenfly (app must be downloaded) and sign up using the invite code MagicGive*.
Magic broadcasters will select the most creative and enthusiastic video and announce a winner on April 30. The winner will receive four courtside seats (food/drink included), access to Fields Ultimate Lounge, meet-and-greet opportunities with the broadcasters, photos and behind-the-scenes tours.
``I am a person of pretty strong faith, and probably like a lot of people, I’ve been in kind of a permanent prayerful mood since all this stuff happened and wanting to do something to help those in need,’’ said Steele, who is affectionately known as ``The Voice of the Magic’’ from his 31 years of play-by-play work for Fox Sports Florida and previously on the Magic Radio Network. ``I woke up about 4:30 in the morning one day last week after talking to Dante (Marchitelli) about wanting to do something (to help those in need) and the plan came to me to have fans show how much they love Orlando and the Magic by donating to enter this contest. We thought we could get some good content for the Magic’s social media (channels), the fans can have some fun with it, and we can raise some money for a very worthy cause.’’
The Magic, whose NBA season has been suspended since March 11 because of the coronavirus pandemic that has swept across the globe, are committed to helping those in need in the Central Florida community. The Magic’s ownership group, the DeVos family, pledged $2 million toward a compensation fund for Amway Center, Lakeland Magic, Orlando Solar Bears and Magic hourly workers for games and time missed during the COVID-19 suspension of seasons. Magic players Nikola Vucevic and Mo Bamba have also contributed to the fund to make sure workers don’t miss checks while the NBA season is suspended.
In addition to those charitable works, Magic players including Jonathan Isaac, Aaron Gordon, D.J. Augustin and Wes Iwundu have contributed to the needs of local youth, with Isaac and Iwundu working with Project Life to make food donations to hundreds of people in need in Central Florida. Gordon provided funding to Orange County Public School’s Homeless Student Fund and to My New Red Shoes, which helps those in need get well-fitting shoes and clean clothes back in the power forward’s hometown of San Jose, Calif. Augustin recently donated to ``Krewe of Red Beans’’ in his hometown of New Orleans, a nonprofit organization that offers food to frontline healthcare workers.
Also, the Magic’s NBA 2K League team, Magic Gaming, hosted a charitable stream virtual fundraiser on Wednesday, April 8 to benefit Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida. That fundraiser included Magic center Mo Bamba, Magic Community Ambassador Bo Outlaw, Magic Gaming Players Brandon ``ToXsiK’’ Raudenbush and Brendan ``Reizey’’ Hill and Central Florida social media influencers Scooter Magruder, Trevor ``TmarTn’’ Martin and others. It was streamed live on Twitch on the participating influencer’s individual channels throughout the day. Fans interested in donating can visit the Magic Gaming Virtual Food Drive link.
One in every six children in Central Florida face hunger issues due to the rise in unemployment and the downturn of the economy brought on by the COVID-19 virus. Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida has already doubled the amount of food leaving its distribution center on a daily basis to stock food pantries across the six countries in Central Florida. Emergency food pantries continue to be a convenient way for individuals and families to find the food that they need in their respective communities.
The Christian Service Center seeks to mobilize the Central Florida community under one common mission to eradicate poverty through the provision of services and resources that foster hope, well-being and empowerment. The Christian Service Center’s programs include the Daily Bread, the Love Pantry and Family and Emergency Services (FES). The Daily Bread provides a nourishing noon-time meal for families and individuals who are hungry six days a week at no cost. The Love Pantry provides struggling families and hungry children with an emergency food supply directly through public schools. Its flagship program, FES, provides immediate emergency assistance and relief to families and individuals who are faced with an unexpected financial crisis.
``It’s heartbreaking with what’s going on, you feel helpless and not everyone is in a position where they have a job where they might be able to provide even a little bit of help,’’ Steele said. ``We feel fortunate to that we do have the opportunity to do something. So, we’re going to take this step and see where it goes and see how many people we can help.’’
*Instructions to enter a photo or video for the opportunity to win a Magic VIP experience:
1. Download the greenfly app
2. Sign up using the invite code: MAGICGIVE
3. Upload your content and share your social username
The team of broadcasters will announce the winning photo or video on May 6.
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.