Archive for the 'Community' Category

Gasol Partners with Children’s Hospital L.A.

Published
by
Mike Trudell
on March 11, 2010
in Community and Pau Gasol
. Closed

blog_1003paugasol_hospitalPress Release Attached Below
Los Angeles Lakers’ All-Star Pau Gasol announced his partnership with Childrens Hospital Los Angeles at a private event on March 10th with Jack Pettker, chairman of the Board of Trustees at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, and Robert Kay, MD, vice chair of the Division of Orthopaedic Surgery at Childrens Hospital.

Gasol will initially be involved in community outreach initiatives on behalf of the hospital, and will participate in hospital radiothons, as well as interact with Orthopaedic patients. Some patients will have an opportunity to attend Lakers’ games as Gasol’s guest.

“It is extremely rewarding for me to help draw public awareness to the amazing work being done at the Orthopaedic Surgery Center at CHLA,” said Gasol. “The doctors and staff work tirelessly to give young kids the ability to lead normal active lives.”

“Pau has a vision for creating more opportunities for the children of Los Angeles and around the globe to realize their dreams of being able to walk, to run, and stand taller,” said Pettker. “We are thrilled to call him a partner.”

Lakers Reach Out to D.C. Community

Published
by
Mike Trudell
on January 26, 2010
in Community
. Closed

DC Kids 2Before each American championship-winning sports team visits President Obama at the White House, they are enlisted to do a service event as part of the President’s “United We Serve” campaign that encourages everyone to give back to the community on a year-round basis.

For the Lakers, that time came on Monday morning at Washington D.C.’s Verizon Center - prior to the team’s afternoon visit to the White House - when the Lakers put on a fitness and basketball clinic for 31 fifth graders from Southeast D.C.’s Stanton Elementary School.

As the Purple and Gold’s Community Relations Director Eugenia Chow explained, the Lakers used the opportunity to partner with City Year, an organization that places students or college graduates with schools.

“City Year is a wonderful organization,” said Chow, who also works with City Year’s L.A. branch. “The Washington D.C. branch has 100 corps members that are 17-to-24 year olds who commit to a year of full-time service.”

Executive Director of City Year Washington D.C. Jeffrey Franco explained that City Year’s corps members act as tutors, mentors and role models to kids such as those gathered with the Lakers.

dckids_gasol“They help the kids with one-on-one tutoring, group tutoring, in-class support and creating a positive climate at the schools they’re at,” he said. “They’re generally in schools that are high-need schools, and our members are in the school every day from the morning bell through the after school program.”

Part of the mission for both City Year and the Lakers is to create opportunities for kids that they might not otherwise get.

“Following along with the theme of a mentor and a role model, these kids see the basketball players as role models, so when they do something with them in the community, it also creates a very positive impression upon the kids,” said Franco.

Luke Walton would agree.

“It’s always great to get the kids having fun playing basketball, and hopefully you can encourage them to exercise more, be more active and that kind of thing,” said the Lakers forward. “And if you talk to most guys on (the Lakers), we grew up having to do well in school before being rewarded with basketball, so we want to use it as motivation.”

It certainly seemed to be working on Monday, as fifth grade teacher Lora King noticed immediately.

“This is definitely motivational for our students,” she said. “They’re excited to meet the players, they’re excited to get their shirts and I think this is something that can help them stay motivated because we’re going to start a basketball team at Stanton.”

King said that Stanton is trying to create positive opportunities for the students that make them excited both about health and fitness and about going to school, and having the Lakers join that cause is very exciting.

“It’s just nice to see smiles on their faces,” concluded Walton. “We had a great time with the kids, and I hope they can take some of these lessons back to Stanton.”

Farmar Kicks Up Charity Effort

Published
by
Mike Trudell
on January 23, 2010
in Community and Jordan Farmar
. Closed

100116jordanfarmar_homedepotcenterOn Friday evening in New York, Jordan Farmar joined teammate Pau Gasol in donating to the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund, which came on top of his previous $2,500 donation to Haiti Relief that resulted from his sinking a 50-foot put earlier in the week.

But even that wasn’t the first time he’d done charitable work in January, because on the 17th at the Home Depot Center, Farmar (pictured above in the lower center) participated in the second annual Mia Hamm and Nomar Garciaparra Celebrity Soccer Challenge.

The event, which helped raise nearly $200,000 for the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and the Mia Hamm Foundation, was designed to raise funds and awareness primarily for bone marrow disease, to which Hamm’s brother lost his life in 1997.

Farmar, who shares the same agent as the greatest female soccer player of all time, supported the effort from the sideline in order to ensure his basketball health.

“Mia and Nomar are great people and it was for a great cause,” he said. “We didn’t have a game that day so I was happy to get out there and support them.”

Farmar said the highlight of his day came at halftime, when patients suffering from life-threatening diseases such as leukemia and lymphoma were introduced to their bone marrow donors for the first time.

“It was a lot of fun just being there and especially seeing some of the kids that were there that got helped out by their donors,” Farmar explained. “Just to see how much one person can change another’s life is pretty cool.”

Gasol Donating $1,000 Per Point Tonight

Published
by
Ty Nowell
on January 22, 2010
in Community, Jordan Farmar and Pau Gasol
. Closed

blog_100122paugasolhaitiFor every point Lakers big man Pau Gasol scores tonight against the New York Knicks he will donate $1,000 to the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund.

The two former presidents established the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund (CBHF) to respond to unmet needs in the country, foster economic opportunity, improve the quality of life over the long term for those affected, and assist the people of Haiti as they rebuild their lives and “build back better,” according to their website, clintonbushhaitifund.org

President Clinton will be on hand at Madison Square Garden for tonight’s game and will be interviewed by ESPN at halftime along with Gasol and the Knicks’ Danilo Gallinari.

Other Wasserman Media Group players like Antawn Jamison, Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook, Tyreke Evans and many other will join in donating monies per point in tonight’s game.

Lakers guard Jordan Farmar, also represented by Wasserman, headlines a group of players making generous contributions to the relief effort.

Earlier this week the Lakers organization and their fans mobilized on several fronts to raise nearly $40,000 for American Red Cross - Haiti Relief and Recovery. Read more about that here.

Ronnie Lester Donates To Alma Mater

Published
by
Mike Trudell
on October 30, 2009
in Community and Miscellaneous
. Closed

PRESS RELEASE FROM EL SEGUNDO:

Los Angeles Lakers Assistant General Manager Ronnie Lester will donate $100,000 to the University of Iowa Foundation to support the Carver-Hawkeye Arena Enhancements Campaign.

“As a member of the Carver-Hawkeye Arena campaign committee, I am pleased to step forward to make this gift,” said Lester. “Coach Lickliter has the program moving in the right direction, and I want to do my part to help this important project.”

Lester is a member of the committee that is leading the fundraising effort to upgrade the 26-year-old facility. The goal of the Carver-Hawkeye Arena Enhancemens Campaign is to raise at least $20 million to modernize the current facility, despite no state funding.

“We are thrilled to receive this gift from Ronnie Lester,” said UI Director of Athletics Gary Barta. “He is one of the all-time great basketball players at Iowa. It’s always special to see former student-athletes reach back and support the Hawks.”

At the request of Lester, the UI Department of Intercolegiate Athletics will name the training room at the remodeled Carver-Hawkeye Arena in honor of longtime UI athletic trainer John Streif.

“John Streif has been a terrific friend to me for more than 30 years. He has worked tirelessly to support me and numerous other athletes over four decades now,” said Lester. “His dedication to the Hawkeyes is legendary, and I’m honored to name the training room for him.”

“On top of his generosity, it is terrific that Ronnie has chosen to honor John Streif,” said Barta. “I can’t think of anyone more deserving.”

A former two-time All-American standout from the University of Iowa, Lester left the university as the Hawkeyes’ all-time leader in both points (1,675) and assists (480).

Mbenga Concludes Week in Africa

Published
by
Mike Trudell
on September 7, 2009
in Community, DJ Mbenga and Off-Season
. Closed

D.J. Mbenga concluded his week in South Africa with the NBA’s Basketball without Border’s Africa program, as summarized by league staff:

It was all basketball on the final day of BWB Africa 2009, with a women’s clinic starting things off in the morning led by former WNBA players Nkeysha Sales and Teresa Edwards. Sixty girls Basketball South Africa ran through passing, shooting and dribbling drills. After the on-court action, Hoops 4 Hope ran a life skills session for the girls teaching the importance of teamwork and leadership.

The BWB campers played their last games with their teams and the Houston Rockets, coached by Dikembe Mutombo, Teresa Edwards and BJ Johnson, finished in first place in the camp tournament.

The campers waited eagerly for the All-Star announcement and Nigeria and Senegal had the most representation with six and five respectively. BJ Johnson coached Team Black to a 44-31 victory over Team White. After the game, individual camp award winners were announced as follows, including Nike Camp MVP Gorgui Sky Dieng of Senegal.

The campers then had a final chance to say their goodbyes and trade email addresses with their new found friends at the end-of-camp barbeque.

Mbenga in Africa for Basketball Without Borders

Published
by
Mike Trudell
on September 3, 2009
in Community, DJ Mbenga and Off-Season
. Closed

Dikembe MutumboAmong my favorite pregame routines during media access throughout the 2008-09 regular season was stopping by the locker of the always interesting D.J. Mbenga.

Of course, many of the conversations were about basketball. But just as often, the topic would drift to international news, particularly anything involving Mbenga’s native land, Africa. His eyes were just as likely to sparkle when talking about his favorite cause - education in Africa - as they were when an opposing player tried to lay the ball up near his sacred land (the paint).

Born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mbenga was forced to move to Belgium, but his love for Africa makes it no coincidence that he has been in Johannasburg, South Africa, with the NBA’s Basketball without Borders (BwB) Africa since Wednesday.

The NBA described the project:

The focus of the NBA Cares social responsibility efforts for Basketball without Borders (BWB) Africa is education, grassroots basketball development and health related issues with a focus on HIV/AIDS education and advocacy. The BWB Africa camp also features a product donation for local non-government organizations (NGO’s) that includes school supplies, sports equipment, clothing, toiletries, hygiene products and other necessities. Social responsibility efforts are split into two categories. The first is Life Skills seminars, which are hour long sessions held daily for the campers. Life Skills seminars will run in the following schedule: Day 1 – Orientation, Day 2 and Day 3 – HIV/AIDS education and living a healthy lifestyle presented by Hoops4Hope. The second category is community outreach events that take place each afternoon around the Johannesburg community.

MbengaThe event runs from Sept. 2nd to 6th, and aside from a bevy of basketball activities featuring the Top 60 African players from 15+ countries (ages 19 and under), includes the following visits by the NBA: Sustainable Food Garden Project at Cotlands Home Based Care Facility- Soweto; Habitat for Humanity Build Day; Soweto Kliptown Youth (SKY) Trust Visit; Hoops4Hope Girls Basketball Clinic; and Life Skills Seminars including two sessions on “HIV/AIDS Education and Living a Healthy Lifestyle.”

Mbenga’s fellow participants include close friend and fellow native of Congo Dikembe Mutombo (pictured above), Dwight Howard, Chris Bosh, Dirk Nowitzki and WNBA/Team USA legend Teresa Edwards.

We’ll catch up with Mbenga for all the details of the trip upon his return.

Congresswoman Maxine Waters Honors Lakers

Published
by
Mike Trudell
on July 23, 2009
in Community, Miscellaneous, Off-Season and Playoffs
. Closed

Congresswoman Maxine Waters (CA-35) reacted on Wednesday to passage in the U.S. House of Representatives of her resolution honoring the Lakers on their 15th NBA Title, H. Res. 566.

As the NBA Finals Champions, the 2009 Los Angeles Lakers are quite deserving of this honor the House of Representatives has bestowed upon them. The Lakers kept us on the edge of our seats all season, never failing to amaze us with their teamwork, talent, and determination … The effective leadership and talent of Coach Phil Jackson and the athleticism and team spirit demonstrated by Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom, Derek Fisher, Paul Gasol, and Trevor Ariza – a graduate of Westchester High School in my District – made for an unstoppable combination,” said Congresswoman Waters. “Like previous Laker greats such as Jerry West, Wilt Chamberlain, Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O’Neal, Pat Riley, and of course Coach Phil Jackson who now holds 10 NBA Finals Championships, the players on this year’s team have cemented their place in the history books. Congratulations once again to the 2009 Los Angeles Lakers.

Lakers 19th Annual Golf Tournament A Hit

Published
by
Mike Trudell
on March 3, 2009
in Community and Miscellaneous
. Closed

Mitch KupchakCharity is often more meaningful when it helps children, which is why Monday’s 19th Annual Lakers Celebrity Golf Invitational at the Riviera Country Club was particularly successful.

Thanks to an event-filled day and some terrific items for both silent and live auction formats, over $100,000 was raised to benefit the Lakers Youth Foundation.

“Although it was a challenge to raise funds in this economy, the money raised from this event has never been more crucial to our community,” said Lakers Director of Charitable Services Janie Drexel. “Since we are seeing a dramatic increase in the amount of requests from organizations who are struggling to keep their programs going for the youth in the Los Angeles area, we are thrilled that with the help of our Lakers players, coaches and staff, along with our organization’s sponsors and fans, the 19th annual event was again a success.”

The day started with a tasty brunch at Riviera’s clubhouse, which preceded a scramble golf tournament featuring various Lakers sponsors paired with Lakers legends like James Worthy and Elgin Baylor, TV personalities such as the E! Network’s Joel McHale and KCAL’s Jackie Johnson as well as each Laker broadcaster and other notables including Frank Robinson and Kenny Lofton.

Subsequently, the golfers changed clothes and joined others at a cocktail reception and silent auction featuring items as varied as autographed Lakers jerseys, balls and shoes, vacations destinations and jewelry. The entire Lakers team and coaching staff then arrived to meet and greet fans, take pictures, sign autographs and even sink some puts on respective mini greens inside the clubhouse.

After enjoying some steak, potatoes and veggies, many patrons participated in a live auction featuring the following items: Dr. Buss’ luxury suite for a Kings game; two first class tickets to New York plus hotel accommodation; floor seats to a coming Lakers game; a Fender Guitar autographed by the team; Jaermann and Stubi Limited Edition men’s watch; and two American Airlines tickets to New York plus six nights in a Hilton family hotel.

Of course, the primary function of the entire day at Riviera was to help kids through the Lakers Youth Foundation:

The Los Angeles Lakers Youth Foundation’s goal is to assist nonprofit community organizations based on need. With the Foundation’s focus on the use of sports to promote education, teamwork and self-esteem among Los Angeles area youth, our fundraising directly supports these initiatives by providing financial assistance to children and local youth programs.

Who can argue with that?

Lakers Host Season of Giving Party

Published
by
Mike Trudell
on December 18, 2008
in Community and Features
. Closed

Holiday GroupAs part of the Lakers “A Season of Giving” campaign, the team hosted its annual holiday party for underprivileged children on Saturday. Ninety children from the Asian Youth Center, Boys & Girls Club of West San Gabriel Valley and Heart of Los Angeles Youth enjoyed a holiday luncheon, played interactive games with Lakers players and the Laker Girls, took photos, received autographs and were presented with Lakers gifts.

Everybody wins, right?

For the second year in a row, East West Bank was the presenting sponsor of the Lakers “A Season of Giving” campaign which focuses on spreading holiday cheer and providing assistance to thousands of less fortunate children and adults in the community. Events this year included a Thanksgiving meal serving at the Boys & Girls Club of Venice, a book drive, a toy drive and the 4th Annual “Wish Night with the Lakers” to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Greater Los Angeles.

Harry & JustinNow that we got all the details in there, we can focus on the main attraction: Harry and Justin (pictured).

Harry and Justin, in a chat we had at the event, detailed their love of Kobe’s crossover dribble (good choice), opted for crazy dunks over three-pointers, revealed their second-favorite player (Derek Fisher and Dwyane Wade) and revealed who would win if they played 1-on-1 (not telling). Shockingly, Harry and Justin didn’t mind interacting with the Laker girls, either. After making the rounds, their second-favorite player took a few moments to talk:

“Any time we get to directly interact with kids in particular, it’s always great,” said Fisher. “I think it’s important for these young people to actually get to touch us and see us, see how tall we really are, and know that we’re real people.”

For more information on the party, check out the story on our Community Page