Zaza Pachulia Hosts Holiday
"Z-Spree"
On the afternoon of December 22, Hawks center Zaza Pachulia treated 20 children
from the Mother’s Raising Sons organization to a holiday shopping “Z-Spree” at
Toys “R” Us in Buckhead. After the kids selected their toys, the group assisted
Pachulia in purchasing holiday gifts for children from his home country, the
Republic of Georgia. The gifts will be distributed to children who lost fathers
in the nation’s recent military conflict. (photos by Jennifer Boxley)
The Top Three – Natali Nava, 3rd Place
(left), Shernite Arnold, 1st Place (center) and Jehuti
Willis, 3rd place (right)
Hawks Host Poetry Slam
The Atlanta Hawks and United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta (UWMA) teamed up to
bring you the first Atlanta Hawks Youth Poetry Slam. Metro-area high school
students were asked to submit original works with a LIVE UNITED theme and the
Top 10 semi-finalists competed prior to the Hawks game on December 19th.
Finishing in First Place, Shernite Arnold of Booker T. Washington High School
earned the opportunity to perform her verse during the halftime of the Hawks’
annual Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday game on January 19th. Jehuti Willis of
Westlake placed second and Natali Nava of Independence High School placed third.
Judges for the competition included Donna Lowry from WXIA, Joyce Little from
V-103, Charlie Jackson from the Georgia Department of Education and Milton J.
Little, president of UWMA. The top three winners will be featured on a January
WXIA and V103 broadcast.
Natali Nava
Hawks and Thrashers Participate in Traveler’s
Aid Holiday Adopt-A-Family Program
The Atlanta Hawks and Thrashers teamed with Traveler’s Aid to
support their annual Holiday Adopt-a-Family program, which provides gifts of new
clothes, toys, food and other items to low-income families in the Metro Atlanta
Area during the holiday season. The Thrashers and Hawks contributed more than
$25,000 to the Adopt-a-Family program. Adopting a total of 83 families, every
player, coach and general manager for both teams, along with the Hawks trainers,
adopted one or more families. On December 17th, Hawks Executive Vice President
and General Manager Rick Sund, along with Thrashers Executive Vice President and
General Manager Don Waddell, helped distribute the gifts at the Traveler’s Aid
office.
Over the years, the Travelers Aid Adopt-A-Family program has allowed an
opportunity for many selfless and compassionate people in the community to share
in the holiday spirit by sponsoring - or adopting - single parent families,
low-income families with children, or families in shelters. Without the support
of so many sponsors and the tireless energy of so many volunteers, hundreds of
residents in our community would experience much less happiness during the
holiday season.
Watch the highlights here!
JOE JOHNSON HOSTS ANNUAL SANTALANTA PARTY
On Tuesday, December 16, Atlanta Hawks guard Joe
Johnson hosted the fourth “JJ’s Santa-Lanta for Kids”
holiday event for approximately 100 teenagers from the
Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta. Johnson, an alumnus
of the William E. Thrasher Boys & Girls Club (in Little
Rock, Arkansas), treated the kids to dinner, bowling and
holiday gifts. The event is part of Johnson’s
longstanding and continued support of the Boys & Girls
Clubs.
XTREME
ROOM MAKEOVER WINNERS ANNOUNCED
The Ron Clark Academy reached out to their family of
donors and volunteers to propose an Xtreme Room Makeover
project where different teams would compete against one
another to makeover our students' bedrooms. Thirteen
teams signed up for the challenge, and after months of
planning, each team had 36 hours to completely transform
one child's room.
One of the contestants, Reggie, is a huge Hawks fan,
with his favorite player being Joe Johnson. The Atlanta
Hawks wanted to get involved so they donated a signed
Joe jersey & picture to be custom framed for the room, 2
signed Joe jerseys for Reggie and his brother to wear,
Atlanta Hawks goodie bags & much more. In addition, Joe
invited Reggie and his brother Terrell to come out to
his annual Santa Lanta holiday event at 300 Atlanta on
Tuesday, December 16th. After a tough decision by the
judges, they voted Reggie’s basketball themed room the
First Place winner! For more information on this Xtreme
Room Makeover, please visit
www.ronclarkacademy.com
HAWKS HOST FLICKS & KICKS
Hawks forward Marvin Williams, along with guards Acie
Law IV and Mario West hosted the third “Flicks & Kicks”
event on December 14 for children from Traveler’s Aid of
Metropolitan Atlanta and Cobb County. The Hawks trio
joined the kids for a special screening of the feature
film Madagascar 2 at the United Artists Perimeter
Pointe theatre before having dinner at the Hudson
Grille, which donated all the food and services for the
event. Each child received a number of gifts, including
Reebok or Converse shoes.
HAWKS HOST ANNUAL THANKSGIVING EVENT
The Atlanta Hawks tipped off the holiday season with a
special Thanksgiving event at Philips Arena on Tuesday,
November 25. Beginning at 4:30 p.m., Hawks players and
coaches joined approximately 100 underprivileged
children from the Atlanta area in assisting Levy
Restaurants chefs preparing a holiday meal with all the
trimmings. The kids and team participated in a
basketball clinic on the Hawks practice court, decorated
cupcakes in the Levy Restaurant kitchen and later dined
together in Philips Arena’s Center Club.
Participating children were from Traveler’s Aid,
Mother’s Raising Sons and the Future Foundation. Each
child received a Hawks goodie bag that included a
disposable camera and Hawks picture frame so the
memories from the day could be captured for a lifetime.
Levy Restaurants donated all of the food and services
for the event as part of their “Levy Cares” program.
Photo Gallery
TEEING OFF FOR A GOOD CAUSE
It was a beautiful 82 degrees and sunny…the perfect day
for teeing off for a good cause. These were the
conditions for the Atlanta Hawks Foundation annual golf
tournament held on Thursday, October 16 at Flat Creek
Country Club in Peachtree City. The highlight of the
afternoon was the Hawks team mixing and mingling with
sponsors off the court and on the greens. Whether taking
a putt, signing autographs or posing for photos, the
players, coaches and Hawks GM Rick Sund demonstrated
their appreciation for the foundation sponsors.
Since the golf tournament’s inception in 1994, more than
$1,000,000 has been raised in support of the
organization’s charitable endeavors. Such efforts
include providing college scholarships to high school
seniors, awarding grants to local youth charities, and
opening Reading & Learning Centers at Boys & Girls Clubs
and YMCAs.
Platinum sponsors included Philips, Coca-Cola, Comcast,
Delta Air Lines, Fast Signs of Buckhead, Kia Motors and
UPS. Breakfast was provided by Chick-Fil-A®, lunch by
Locos Grill, and dinner by Outback Steakhouse of
Peachtree City.
PHOTO GALLERY
Rick Brown Pitches In at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Rehab
Summer Games
Former Hawks player Rick Brown was on hand for
the annual Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta “Rehab
Summer Games”, which took place at Philips Arena on
Monday, July 28 from 9:30 a.m. – noon. The “Rehab Summer
Games” allowed more than 350 area children to compete in
various events such as basketball, wheelbarrow races,
tricycle races, dance contests, obstacle courses and
more.
The Games are a unique and motivational way to
incorporate therapy goals into a patient’s summer
activities. The patients train hard during physical,
occupational and speech therapy sessions and the Games
give them a chance to show off all of their skills.
Brown was on hand to meet the children and their
families, play games and sign autographs during the
event.
Atlanta Thrashers player Chris Thorburn was in
attendance as well.
This was the ninth annual event for Children’s
Healthcare of Atlanta and the sixth consecutive year
that Philips Arena has hosted the event.
Hawks and Thrashers Encourage Summer Reading
Thrash visited children at
the LaGrange Memorial Library to help kick off this
year’s Check It Out Reading Challenge. This is the 4th
straight year the Atlanta Hawks and Thrashers have
partnered with the Georgia Public Library Service to
offer the summer reading program.
This year’s program runs from June 2nd through August
15th. Designed for students in grades K-12, the Check It
Out Reading Challenge encourages youth to read
throughout the summer months. This year’s program marks
the first time it has been offered state-wide, with over
33% of the libraries in Georgia participating.
Participants register on
www.checkitoutreading.com to receive their rewards.
By reading at least five books, participants can earn a
free ticket to an Atlanta Hawks and Atlanta Thrashers
game. In addition, reading challenge bookmarks are
available at any of the participating libraries. For
more information on the Check It Out Reading Challenge,
visit
www.checkitoutreading.com.
Zaza Visits Ron Clark Academy
Atlanta Hawks center Zaza Pachulia made a surprise visit to students at The Ron
Clark Academy on Thursday, June 12. Prior to the Academy’s intramural basketball
championship, Pachulia spoke to the kids about the importance of education,
pursuing your dreams and hard work. He also signed autographed, took photos and
answered questions. For the students, who will visit six of the seven continents
by the time they finish 8th grade, the chance to meet international NBA player
was an example of how dreams really do come true.
Zaza greeting some of the students from Ron Clark
Zaza with famed educator school co-founder Ron Clark
