It’s an early Fins Christmas down in Plantation, Florida for 20 lucky teenagers from the Helping Abused Neglected Disadvantaged Youth (HANDY) program and the Camillus House in Miami. Members of the Miami Dolphins took these teenagers on a shopping spree to Dick’s Sporting Goods where they received gift cards from the company.
The event was sponsored by the Miami Dolphins Foundation and Jeff Peck in coordination with Dick’s Sporting Goods. What could be more fun than a shopping spree? Well, the students got to shop with one player from the team, a wonderful Dolphin’s cheerleader, and a representative from the Miami Dolphin’s Women’s Organization (MDWO). At the conclusion of the shopping frenzy, students were treated to a catered meal by Hooters.
The most notable Dolphins players that participated in the event were Charles Clay, Brian Hartline, Nate Garner, Philip Wheeler, and Brandon Fields. Nate Garner seemed to have the most fun out of all these talented players saying, “it was great to spend our time today with the kids. We loaded their baskets with a bunch of stuff for both the students and families and it was pretty cool.” Like most Dolphin’s players, Garner loves to help out students from the Miami area because football is more than just playing the game.
HANDY, for those who do not know the program, was founded in 1985 and has successfully met the needs of over 45,000 Broward County youth in foster care. The program’s mission is ” to embrace, educate, and empower vulnerable youth to become engaged, productive adults.” Their main focus is on education, youth development, and economic self-sufficiency. To learn more about the HANDY program or to donate to their foundation visit their website http://www.handyinc.org/.
Photo credit Miami Dolphins
