The mouth-watering scent of roasted turkey and mashed potatoes wafted through the gym. Music flowed out of every door; faces were being painted; pictures were being taken. Droves of families filed into the Boys & Girls Club of Oklahoma City for an evening full of Thanksgiving festivities hosted by the Thunder.
While the team played in a back-to-back in Los Angeles, the Thunder office took time to make a special trip of their own. This destination, however, was only 3.6 miles from Chesapeake Energy Arena. Several members of the Thunder business office, Storm Chasers and Thunder Girls took the evening to help distribute turkey, ham and other Thanksgiving staples to the members of the Club and their families.
“Traditions like this matter. They’re important,” said Jane Sutter, CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Oklahoma County. “They make you feel connected; they make you feel grounded; they make you feel part of a bigger community which is what we all need.”
“So many of them make this night their Thanksgiving and they’re so thankful for it,” said A. Jaye Johnson, Communications and Facilities Director at Boys & Girls Clubs of Oklahoma City. “From time to time we take for granted getting a turkey, having all the trimmings that goes with it, and then there are people out there that don’t get this opportunity and so this has become their tradition being with us on this night enjoying this great meal.”
