Dwyane Wade sponsors three homes in the Ninth Ward and  personally visits families devastated by Hurricane Katrina 

New Orleans, LA -- 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 this past weekend.  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.

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 ReadingCenter at LaurelElementary School. 

 

On Saturday, Wade hosted an All-Star Brunch with the partnership of Converse, and support from Gatorade, CSMG Sports, WilliamMorrisAgency, 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.

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.

"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 play in 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."

 
For more information, please contact Lisa Joseph at 786.258.2193 or via email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
 

ABOUT WADE'S WORLD FOUNDATION:

He's won an NBA title, been named Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year and one of People Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People...but to Dwyane Wade, his ultimate dream is to "leave the world a better place than I found it." Through his Wade's World Foundation, he is fulfilling his goal....one step at a time. The Wade's World Foundation provides support to community-based organizations that promote education, health and social skills for children in at-risk situations. Dwyane was inspired to start the foundation because he wanted to give back to underserved communities and support issues of purpose.  Since 2003, Dwyane and his family have been dedicated to giving back to their core communities in the Chicago and South Florida areas through a variety of community outreach programs.

ABOUT 4 SURVIVAL TO GO:

4 Survival To Go, is a privately held corporation headquartered in Southern CA, dedicated to increasing awareness on the benefits of being prepared before a disaster strikes by promoting and educating the public with resources and products. Visit - www.4survivaltogo.com for info.