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Wade's All-Star Weekend - 2008 New Orleans, LA New Orleans, LA I February 20, 2008: Miami HEAT guard, Dwyane Wade, made his fourth appearance (third-year starter) at the NBA All-Star Game during the NBA All-Star Weekend in New Orleans, Louisiana. Although the weekend was filled with corporate appearances and All-Star festivities, Wade's mission was to leave New Orleans a better place than he found it. With that mission in mind, Wade's overall platform was to promote future preparedness and preventive measures that individuals might take to ensure a level of empowerment and control over an untimely occurrence.
"Once we knew the All-Star game was going to be in New Orleans, we really wanted to find a way to leave something behind," Wade said. "One of the main things you can do is give someone a home, and we accomplished that today. Although I'm here to playing the All-Star game, my purpose was to come to New Orleans and be a blessing to as many people as possible, and we've done that. I feel whole." |
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4 Survival to Go Distribution One way this message was delivered was through the distribution of 4 Survival To Go 72-hour multi-purpose emergency preparedness kits, designed for families who want to make sure that they have emergency essentials in their reach at all times. By partnering with 4 Survival To Go, Wade was able to distribute kits to over 60 homes through a number of organizations that are active in rebuilding homes in the community, including the Baptist Crossroads Project. |
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T-Mobile Rookie Game Presented by Cartoon Network Wade's preparedness initiative began on Friday, February 15th when he hosted 30 students at the T-Mobile Rookie Game. With a personal meet and greet by the All-Star, all students were handed a personal survival kit from Wade and had an opportunity to take photos and spend time with him. Earlier that day, through the NBA Cares Day of Service, Wade partnered with the Cartoon Network to help refurbish the Reading Center at Laurel Elementary School. |
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The Baptist Crossroads Project Brunch On Saturday, Wade hosted an All-Star Brunch with the partnership of Converse, and support from Gatorade, CSMG Sports, William Morris Agency, Topps, Miami HEAT and the NBA. Fellow teammate Alonzo Mourning, Orlando Magic guard Jameer Nelson and actor Stephen Hill stopped in to show their support, while ESPN Analyst Stephen A. Smith served as emcee. The brunch was designed to raise funds to support the Baptist Crossroad Project as well as to recognize several families who were affected by Hurricane Katrina. |
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Habitat for Humanity Walk The most impactful moment of the weekend came with a personal walking tour of the Upper Ninth Ward. Along with his family and friends, dubbed TEAM WADE, Dwyane took the morning before the game to personally visit families and deliver survival kits to those who recently moved into homes built by Habitat for Humanity and to share time with children in the neighborhood. Dwyane also announced the sponsorship of three homes in the area, and had a chance to meet the families who would soon be moving into those homes. |
