Talk about getting a heaping, double helping of perspective. Orlando Magic executives Bob Vander Weide and Alex Martins got one on Thanksgiving morning when they arrived at the Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida and saw more than 800 people lined up around the block.
All of sudden all of the angst and bitterness over the Magic’s frustrating 99-98 loss to the Miami Heat the night before didn’t seem to matter quite as much.
“We’ve come here and seen how many children and women are homeless and it makes every point we’ve ever made as an organization about giving back to the community relevant,’’ said Martins, the Magic’s Chief Operating Officer. “It puts everything in perspective, too. I went home (Wednesday) night unfortunately disappointed that we had a last-minute loss in our game, but this puts it all into perspective. Our business is important and winning is very important to us, but doing something like this is what’s really important.’’
What the Magic did Thursday morning was provide more than 200 staff members to serve up approximately 1,000 hot meals to Orlando residents who are either homeless or down on their luck.
It was the 17th consecutive year that the Magic have worked with the Coalition for the Homeless and the turnout was larger than ever in large part because of the troubled times in today’s economy.
The Coalition for the Homeless is the largest provider of homeless services in Central Florda. In the past year, the center has served nearly 300,000 meals and provided more than 211,000 nights of shelter to homeless individuals and families.
Brent Trotter, the president and CEO of the Coalition, said the shelter wouldn’t be able to provide the services that it does without the help of the Magic.
The Magic, who are helping to construct a sparkling, new arena just blocks away, have made a commitment to helping solve the homeless problem in the Parramore community and Trotter said the Magic’s impact is felt on a daily basis.
“The Orlando Magic’s presence in this Parramore neighborhood has been phenomenal. Their commitment to making sure the needs of the people in this community are met is remarkable and I applaud them,’’ Trotter said. “Without them and their community partnership, we would be able to do what we do here at the Coalition for the Homeless.’’
Vander Weide, the Magic’s president and CEO, brought his wife, Cheri, and his five children to Thursday’s event for a seventh consecutive year. Between scooping out scrambled eggs and washing an industrial-sized biscuit plate, Vander Weide said that the Magic’s efforts of giving back and making the community a better place to live are at the very fabric of the team’s overall mission.
“We’re a basketball team, but we always talk about being custodians and being part of the fabric of this community,’’ said Vander Weide as he moved throughout the kitchen area. “Going into this holiday season there are people who don’t have a bed to sleep in and don’t know where there next hot meal is coming from, but this is one of the greater things we can do being a part of this coalition. “If you have your health and all of the blessing that we have, something like this gets you down to grass roots to know that you are helping make some needs met for others,’’ Vander Weide continued. “This organization does an incredible job of meeting the very basic needs of people. Some of the things we’ve seen over the last five or seven years is that there was always a belief that homelessness was a middle-aged man thing. But it’s amazing how many kids are helped through this shelter and how many independent women who are trying to make it on their own are here. We just feel like we can have a great impact trying to help people here.’’
One of those people helped Thursday was Larry and Michelle Spencer and their 10-year-old daughter, Fayelynn. The Spencers were living on the streets and at a Greyhound Bus station for three days after Larry lost his job as an automobile mechanic in July. Larry said when the family was taken in at the Coalition for the Homeless it was akin to a life-saving moment in the family’s struggles.
And Thursday’s Thanksgiving breakfast of eggs, sausage, grits, toast, juice, Panera Bread rolls and Barnie’s coffee were a nice touch that helped the family have a good holiday, Larry said.
“Where we’re from up in New Jersey people aren’t this nice and so willing to help folks out,’’ Larry said. “The people here (at the coalition) have been so good to us and helped us out. And what the Magic are doing today, providing these meals to people who really need it, just shows what a community can do when it comes together.’’
Bee Jay Walker works as a volunteer at the Coalition and said that the center housed 271 people the night before Thanksgiving and fed approximately 400 individuals. She pointed out the large number of kids and women at the facility, stressing that rampant homelessness hits all genders and greatly affects children as well. She was so thankful of the food that the Magic provided on a day that is defined by giving. “It’s such a really good thing that they are doing,’’ she said of the Magic. “It’s really just about everybody coming together, pitching in and helping out. I’m down here volunteering five days a week, trying to do my part. There’s a lot of people out here now who don’t have much and it’s good to try and help people out.’’
That’s what brought out Magic Community Ambassador Nick Anderson, who signed plenty of autographs when he wasn’t serving breakfasts. Anderson said seeing so many people in need brought a new perspective on his own life. “There’s a lot of people who are less fortunate and to be able to come out here and put a smile on someone’s face on this special day, it let’s you know that you have so much to be thankful for,’’ said Anderson, the Magic’s all-time leader in several statistical categories. “I’m thankful for being able to provide a hot meal for someone who isn’t fortunate enough to have it. I’m blessed to have this opportunity.’’
By: John Denton
John Denton writes for Orlandomagic.com.
