Community

Dan Savage

ORLANDO –&nbsp;Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s words are etched in history and elements of his message are interwoven into the fabric of culture throughout the United States of America.

His impact was so great that over the course of the last 30 years, people throughout the country have paused on MLK Day, reflected on creating systemic change, and used the holiday as a day of service. After all, as King once pronounced in a memorable 1957 speech, "life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?’"

The Orlando Magic took those words to heart and honored his legacy through an MLK Week of Service this year. The Magic’s entire staff – close to 300 employees – volunteered at 16 different organizations for a total of nearly 1,000 hours as they undertook projects throughout the Central Florida community.

“It’s always so important to be able to give back, to be able to share, (and) to be able to care,” said Magic Head Coach Jamahl Mosley, who along with his staff spent time running a basketball clinic at the Boys and Girls Club of Central Florida during the week. “To be able to show how much the community impacts us and how much we want to be able to impact the community. It’s about being able to spread and share joy and love and connect with as many people as possible to bring as many people together as possible.”

Over the course of the five days, the Magic participated in projects benefiting 16-plus organizations, including A Gift for Teaching, Boys & Girls Club, Center for Independent Living, Clean the World, Christian Services Center, Habitat for Humanity, Harbor House, Magic of Mentoring, Mustard Seed of Central Florida, Pathlight HOME, Ronald McDonald House Charities, Pet Alliance, Quest Camp Thunderbird, Salvation Army of Central Florida, Second Harvest Food Bank, and United Against Poverty.

“It is so amazing,” said Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando Volunteer Coordinator Alyssa Bajek. “The Magic are going above and beyond. They are really being our community team. It really is the Orlando Magic. They are helping out all of Central Florida in so many ways. We are so thankful for what they are doing.”

While the Magic certainly ramped up their community efforts for the MLK Week of Service, their efforts in the community are felt throughout the year.

On an annual basis, the Magic give more than $2 million to the local community by way of sponsorships of events, donated tickets, autographed merchandise and grants. Magic community relations programs impact an estimated 100,000 kids each year, while a Magic staff-wide initiative provides more than 7,000 volunteer hours annually. In addition, the Orlando Magic Youth Foundation (OMYF) which serves at-risk youth, has distributed more than $27 million to local nonprofit community organizations over the last 32 years.

Also, in celebration of their 30-year milestone as stewards and caretakers of the Magic and as an expression of gratitude to the fans and the community, the DeVos family recently committed to donating a total of $3 million to 30 nonprofits through the 30 Grants for 30 Years Initiative. This effort invests in people and projects impacting youth, essential needs for families, and community enrichment across Central Florida.

"The DeVos family has made that the point about it being about the community," said Mosley. "We want our players to be champions on and off the court. We understand that each employee has spent time this week going out in the community giving, caring, and bringing the community together. It says so much. From the top down, it really trickles down to each one of our players."

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Orlando Magic's MLK Week of Service

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Orlando Magic Honor Martin Luther King Jr.’s Legacy Through Week of Service

The Magic’s entire staff volunteered at 16 different organizations for a total of nearly 1,000 hours during their MLK Week of Service as they undertook projects throughout the Central Florida community

Wendell Carter Jr., along with Magic Head Coach Jamahl Mosley, Community Ambassador Bo Outlaw, Florida Blue and Magic staff members, distributed 350 Thanksgiving meals to underserved families in the Central Florida area.

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Wendell Carter Jr. Distributes Thanksgiving Turkeys to Local Families

Jose Fremaint

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Special Needs Basketball Clinic

Josh Cohen

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Photos: Magic FIT Draft Combine

ORLANDO -- Ever curious about what happens to all those leftover travel size hygiene products from hotel bathrooms after you check out?

Well, they once were discarded and went straight to the landfill. But since 2009, bars of soap, bottles of shampoo and other personal cleansing amenities are getting recycled and donated to those in need.

Clean the World, the leaders in global hygiene revolution, collects thousands of these essentials from hotels across the U.S. and then distributes them both domestically and internationally.

On Thursday, July 28, the Orlando Magic assisted in the process. Community Ambassadors Nick Anderson and Bo Outlaw and other Magic volunteers helped sort, package and box thousands of products.

“This is great to see all the volunteers giving their time and efforts to help distribute these products to the less fortunate,” Anderson said. “I’m just happy to be a part of it and to help others get things that we take for granted.”

The impact is extraordinary. Since the program began seven years ago, the number of fatalities among youth from various illnesses and diarrheal-related diseases has reduced by a whopping 35 percent. An estimated 9,000 children died each day from these health issues in 2009. Now, that total has dropped to approximately 5,500.

“People don’t know they are doing a good deed when they are in the hotel and using half of these products,” Outlaw said. “It’s awesome they are not letting it go to waste. They are actually putting it toward a good cause.”

The targeted recipients of these amenities are maternal health programs, schools, community health providers and nutrition programs. Clean the World, which initially started in a single-car garage in downtown Orlando, has sent 35 million bars of soap to 100 countries.

Hand hygiene is known to prevent infections. It is estimated that washing hands with soap and water could reduce diarrheal disease-associated deaths by up to 50 percent and could diminish the chance of respiratory infections by 16 percent, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

With these statistics so powerful and problematic, it’s imperative for underprivileged families and children to have the basic amenities such as soap to stay healthy.

“The goal is to eradicate those two top killers of children (pneumonia and diarrheal disease),” Clean the World Founder and CEO Shawn Seipler said. “It’s incredible (to see the Magic here). They are helping us advance the mission. It’s an inspiration and a boost to our employees. Our folks being able to see that Bo Outlaw and Nick Anderson and everybody with Magic shirts on in our facility validates what they are doing every day. It’s a huge boost all the way around for us.”

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Orlando Magic Help 'Clean the World' and Save Lives

ORLANDO – Regardless of whether it’s basketball season or not, one of the Orlando Magic’s priorities is to be out in communities across Central Florida and help people live healthier.

So, it was no surprise that the Magic were at the Christian Service Center in Orlando on Tuesday, May 31 to serve meals to underprivileged local residents through The Daily Bread program.

Magic Community Ambassadors Nick Anderson and Bo Outlaw along with several other Magic staff served a nourishing noontime meal to more than 300 people.

“When you are out here and are helping those less fortunate, it is a blessing,” Anderson said. “I remember Mr. (Rich) DeVos saying this team belongs to the community. It’s a wonderful thing to do.”

“This is what we do, trying to make a difference in the community,” Outlaw said. “I get the most joy by seeing the smiles on the faces. I appreciate the opportunity to come here and help.”

Some of the stats on hunger in Central Florida are staggering. Around 70 percent of households had to choose between paying for food and paying for rent/mortgage at least once in the past 12 months and 73 percent of households reported having to choose between paying for food or transportation (Statistics from the Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida).

“Hunger is one of our focus areas with the Magic and we are so happy to have our staff and volunteers here to help support the cause,” Magic Assistant Director of Community Relations Latria Leak said. “For the Magic, every day is game day for us. We have no offseason when it comes to our community.”

The Magic are committed to fighting the issue of hunger. They have developed a Hoops for Hunger program, which consists of several activities throughout the year. Recently, the entire Magic staff and UnitedHealthcare staff assembled 12,000 food packs for the Hi-Five Kids Pack program. The Magic unveiled the second “Magic Love Pantry,” in partnership with the Outback Steakhouse, which provides local students with emergency food and basic hygiene items. They also served Thanksgiving breakfast for the 23rd straight year at the Coalition for the Homeless.

The Daily Bread program serves about 150,000 meals and roughly 3,000 to 3,500 people per year. It offers free nourishing noontime meals six days a week (Sunday to Friday) to anyone in the community who is hungry.

“Really important to have the Magic here because it really sends a signal to the rest of the community how important our program is in the community,” Executive Director of the Christian Service Center Robert Stuart said. “We are thrilled about the opportunity to be partnering with the Orlando Magic.”

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Orlando Magic Continue to Fight Hunger in Central Florida

That was the underlying message on Monday when students from Rock Lake Elementary School were treated to a Magic FIT Fun Day. Magic players Elfrid Payton and Dewayne Dedmon, Community Ambassadors Nick Anderson and Bo Outlaw, Magic Dancers and STUFF The Magic Mascot surprised the kids at the school’s outdoor basketball court to help show them the importance of fitness and nutrition.

Payton and Dedmon served as coaches for the event’s scrimmage basketball game and then they helped inspire the students with a Q&A afterwards. They emphasized how healthy habits helped them become NBA players and described what they’ve learned about making good food choices since becoming pro athletes.

“They need to be outside playing,” Payton said. “It’s fun for me, this is a way for me to give back.”

“I can tell when I haven’t been eating the right things, I don’t have the same amount of energy,” Payton added. “It’s very important (to eat well).”

“It’s real important for kids to be physically fit,” Dedmon said. “Any time you can give back to the kids, it’s a great opportunity.”

"It’s unbelievable how many events (in the NBA) that promote fitness for kids,” he added when asked what he’s learned about fitness and nutrition since starting his NBA career.

The school was rewarded for its participation in the Magic FIT 8 Week Fitness Challenge program. Rock Lake submitted 261 Magic FIT eight-week fitness challenge forms, 99 percent of the school’s population, to win the Magic FIT Fun Day. Rock Lake was one of 20 schools in the tri-county area (Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties) that participated in the Magic FIT eight-week fitness challenge. As a result of participation in the eight-week challenge, the students completed more than 7.1 million minutes of physical activity collectively.

There is plenty of evidence that shows that good nutrition and regular fitness activity helps children be more successful in the classroom. There is research that suggests that participation in physical activity improves cognitive performance and brain health. There are also statistics that indicate physical activity offered in the classroom may increase attention to task in the classroom setting.

“If they (students) have some type of outlet where they are able to go outside, run, play, it helps brain cells, that’s what research says,” Rock Lake Elementary Principal Robin Broner said.

“They are very excited (to see the Magic and players surprise them at event),” she added.

The Magic FIT eight-week fitness challenge is an incentive-based exercise program for children created by Magic Strength and Conditioning Coach Bill Burgos. The Magic will continue to work with local schools to promote health and wellness with an emphasis on the Magic FIT eight-week fitness challenge.

Magic FIT is the team’s first-ever fitness and nutrition education program for youth. Following the NBA FIT guidelines, the program’s goal is to improve the knowledge of healthy food choices and fitness exercises among at-risk children and families within Orange, Seminole and Osceola counties. NBA FIT is a comprehensive health and wellness platform promoting healthy, active lifestyles for children and adults. The NBA FIT initiative encourages physical activity and healthy living for children and families. Health and wellness is one of the Magic’s community focus areas (the other include hunger, homelessness, literacy/education and diversity).

The Magic tipped off the Magic FIT program in July 2014 with a ‘draft combine’ featuring physical fitness challenges and basketball drills led by Magic players and trainers. The youth also learned about different foods and making good food choices.

The Magic’s commitment to the community remains a large focus for the team. Throughout this season, they have helped refurbish local school basketball courts, donated to countless charities and helped make the holidays, including Thanksgiving and Christmas, more special for thousands of families.

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Elfrid Payton and Dewayne Dedmon Surprise Local Students for Magic FIT Participation

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Due to Tropical Storm Nicole, the NBA has announced that the Dallas Mavericks at Orlando Magic game on Wednesday, November 9 will tip-off at 5:30 PM. Amway Center doors open at 4:30 PM.