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Yes Virginia, There is a Santa Shaq!
Views: 1,031Added: Fri. Nov 27, 2009 9:50am
Posted in: Basketball
Shaquille O'Neal pulled out his wallet last week and donated money to a family he didn't know. He paid for the funeral of five-year-old Shaniya Davis---the North Carolina girl who was buried last week after being raped and murdered by a man who was settling a debt owed by the girl's mother.
Shaq quietly paid for little Shaniya's funeral.
I am not a fan of most athletes because I, personally, think many of them are selfish and ignorant. How many times have you seen a commercial showing an athlete reading to children or helping out in a community during the hoidays? These public service announcements are always tagged with the line "The NBA Cares." But have you ever stopped to think about how often those same athletes participate in those same community service type projects when the cameras AREN'T rolling? The answer may surprise you--probably even disappoint you.
But Shaq is different. He walks the walk of his talk. While you see some athletes out seeking publicity, Shaq just does his thing whether there's a camera around or not. He is well known for his foundations and charitable giving. In 2005, he was named the Most Caring Athlete. He's pledged $1 million to the Boys & Girls Club of America to support tech-learning centers.
Kudos to Shaquille ONeal for being more than just an athlete who makes a lot of money. Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Shaq!
Ginger!
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Posted 1:11am November 28th, 2009Thanks for writing about this, Bev.
I'm with you....I'm definitely not a fan of major athletes. So many of them are totally self-absorbed and narcissistic, and think they're better than everyone else. Many of them also think they're above the law. (We could all name a few of them.) I think the problem is they believe all the hype about them being 'heroes'.
So it's really refreshing to hear about someone like Shaq. I hadn't heard about his Most Caring Athlete award. God bless him for his generosity and compassion. I hope some of the others take notice and follow in his footsteps....without any cameras in view. After all, they're the ones making the hundreds of millions of dollars. The least they can do is give something back to the people who put them where they are. Like they say....you need to pay it forward.