January 27, 2008

MEDIA ADVISORY

Dwight Howard to Celebrate the Opening of the Parramore Kidz Zone Teen Shack

Parramore teens now have a new place to hang out after school – the Parramore Kidz Zone (PKZ) Teen Shack -- complete with a new photography lab, laptops and videogames.  The new Teen Shack, housed in the Downtown Orlando Recreation Complex (649 W. Livingston St., Orlando, 32801), will officially open on Wednesday, January 28, 2009 at 4:30 p.m. by Orlando Magic Center Dwight Howard, Magic Chief Operating Officer Alex Martins, Mayor Buddy Dyer and District 5 City Commissioner Daisy Lynum.

The new Teen Shack is an initiative of the Parramore Kidz Zone (PKZ) to address the need for older youth in the area to have a safe space to spend time during out-of-school hours. The new center became a reality due to the generous support of Magic All-Star Dwight Howard, who donated $25,000 to this project as part of winning the 2007-2008 DeVos Community Enrichment Award. Each year, the Orlando Magic honors a player who has dedicated his efforts off-the-court for the purpose of enhancing others’ lives at the Orlando Magic Youth Fund Gala. In addition to receiving the award, the player is granted $50,000 from the Richard and Helen DeVos Foundation to donate to the charity of his choice.  

A team of 15 PKZ teens collaborated on the design, features, and even rules of conduct for the Teen Shack, a space that once served as the Orlando Magic’s training locker room.  The resulting space will allow the youth to spend their time developing photographs in the photography lab, utilizing state-of-the-art laptops, or simply hanging out with their peers playing videogames or watching movies.

Other PKZ community partner programs in the Orlando Downtown Recreation Complex include the City’s open gym, the Center for Drug-Free Living’s Midnight Basketball, Page 15’s Homework Roomz after-school tutoring, and Workforce Central Florida’s Youth Employment Services (YES) program.  

Modeled after the Harlem Children’s Zone, Parramore Kidz Zone launched by Mayor Dyer in 2006, employs creative outreach to engage a critical mass of Parramore’s children and linking them to positive opportunities, including pre-kindergarten education, parenting education, health care, mentoring, tutoring, and constructive activities when school is out.  

The Orlando Magic has made a commitment to the revitalization of the Parramore area.  The Magic’s efforts in the city’s west-side community have included:

* Pledging $250,000 to the Parramore Kidz Zone and After School All-Stars to provide positive programs for local youth vulnerable to drugs, gangs and violence.

* Refurbishing Parramore’s New Image Youth Center. Once moldy and rat-infested, the new education center now features flat-screen televisions, freshly painted walls, desktop computers, new carpeting, a Nintendo Wii and central air conditioning.

* Renovating the Downtown Boys and Girls Club.

* Providing school supplies to the Bridge To Independence School and sponsoring a trip for kids from the Parramore Kidz Zone to New York City.

* Partnering with the Orange County Arts Education Center to provide Parramore youth exposure to the arts via a series of ongoing arts-enriching endeavors, including sponsoring educational field trips for children at the Grand Avenue Primary Learning Center to the Orlando Shakespeare Theater.

* When Magic forward Hedo Turkoglu received the NBA’s Most Improved Player Award presented by Kia Motors, he donated a brand-new 2009 Kia Borrego seven-passenger SUV to Parramore Kidz Zone.

* Dwight Howard presented 300 pairs of adidas shoes to the students at Orange Center Elementary for their hard work towards improving their FCATs. Howard also donated $25,000 to help renovate the Parramore Kidz Zone Teen Shack, a facility which gives teens a place to hang out and is now complete with a new photography lab, laptops and videogames.  Howard’s donation was a portion of the grant he earned by winning the DeVos Community Enrichment Award which is annually given by the Richard and Helen DeVos Foundation to the Orlando Magic player who has dedicated his effort off the court for the purpose of enhancing others’ lives.  

* Orlando Magic center Adonal Foyle delivered healthy snacks, Magic backpacks and a meaningful message on making healthy lifestyle choices to the elementary students at Nap Ford Community School in Parramore. The visit coincided with the school’s commencement of the “Junk Free Zone,” which focuses on eliminating bad language, unhealthy foods and unproductive habits, while encouraging a healthy lifestyle.

* Equipped with paint brushes, drills, hammers, gloves and garbage bags, the Orlando Magic’s staff volunteer program (MVP) helped renovate a Parramore area home. Last year the Magic employees totaled 5,858 hours of community service.

About The Orlando Magic
Orlando’s NBA franchise since 1989, the Magic’s mission is to be world champions on and off the court, delivering legendary moments every step of the way. On the court, Orlando has won three division championships (1995, 1996, 2008), had four 50-plus win seasons, and won the Eastern Conference title in 1995. Off the court, on an annual basis the Orlando Magic gives more than $2 million to the local community by way of sponsorships of events, donated tickets, autographed merchandise, scholarships and grants. Orlando Magic community relations programs impact an estimated 75,000 kids each year, while a Magic staff-wide initiative provides more than 5,000 volunteer hours annually. In addition, over the last 19 years nearly $14 million has been distributed to local non-profit community organizations via The Orlando Magic Youth Fund (OMYF), a fund of the McCormick Foundation since 1994, which serves at risk and disadvantaged youth. Ticket highlights for 2008-09 include: 7,569 seats priced $25 or under per game; a $27 lower bowl ticket; and tickets priced at $10 per game. For ticket information log on to orlandomagic.com or call 407-89-MAGIC.

Through the National Basketball Association’s NBA CARES program, the league, players and teams will raise and contribute $100 million for charity, donate more than 1 million hours of hands-on volunteer service to communities worldwide, and build more than 100 places where kids can learn and play over the next five years.  

The Orlando Magic is also the developer of the new downtown Events Center which will compete to host major national events, concerts and family shows. Opening in the fall of 2010, the facility will be operated by the City of Orlando and owned by the Central Florida Community.