This a touching story about children on the Davis Park Panthers football team in New Orleans. It is a well done piece by journalists Jonathan Bullington and Richard A. Webster.
We felt we needed to do something.
“It’s not a matter of if they’ve been exposed to violence – it’s how often. In their young lives, they’ve already attended funerals for slain family and friends, and stepped off school buses to the sight of flashing blue lights and yellow crime scene tape. They can tell the difference between fireworks and gunfire, and they know what to do when they hear the latter.”
We called the journalists and asked for the coach’s phone number. We spoke to coach last week and confirmed that we will send the entire football team of 29 kids and 5 coaches/chaperones to an NBA Game in the fall. A New Orleans Pelican’s game. Tickets, Gift cards for food/drink and parking passes.
We say the same thing to each group leader. We are not solving any of the challenging issues these kids face in life. We just give them the opportunity to escape their reality for a few hours to create an unforgettable memory.