Hornets In The Community
Hornets Wrap Up 12 Days Of Giving
New Orleans - With owner George Shinn and his wife Denise leading the way, the New Orleans Hornets completed this year's 12 Days of Giving initiative by adopting two families in-need, as identified by the Housing Authority of New Orleans.
"We're so blessed to have the opportunity to help so many people this holiday season", said Shinn. "From the luncheon with 1,400 seniors in attendance to the 200 complete turkey dinners we gave to residents at the St. Bernard Housing Development, this has truly been a season of giving."
The partnership between the Hornets and the Housing Authority of New Orleans has taken center stage during the 12 Days of Giving, with half of the team's major donations and events benefiting HANO residents. For the final donation, Hornets staff members made cash donations to help purchase some big-ticket items for the two adopted families.
On Christmas Eve, the Shinn's delivered to the home of Sheila Augustine a new sofa, love seat, and chair to go along with a new 32" television set, toys, and Christmas dinner for the seven grandchildren that she is raising in her St. Bernard Housing Development apartment.
From there, the Shinn's traveled to the Westbank home of Ramona Smith, where they delivered new beds, comforters, and sheet sets to go along with a new washer and dryer, gifts, and a complete turkey dinner for the nine children she is raising in her Fischer Housing Development apartment.
New Orleans Hornets Special Giving Season
Day 1 - Annual Senior Citizen Luncheon
Day 6 - Annual Turkey Dinner Giveaway
Day 8 - Season Of Giving Essay Contest Shopping Trip
Day 10 - Second Harvest Kid's Cafe Holiday Party
Day 11 - Annual Horneless Shelter Shoe Giveaway
Hornets Owner George Shinn speaks with one of the "Season of Giving" Essay Contest Winners during the 2004 12 Days of Christmas.
Hornets - Read To Achieve
The Read to Achieve program is a NBA initiative, in which all 29 teams participate, designed to promote adults reading with kids and online literacy. It is a year-round program designed to help young people develop a life-long love for reading that reaches an estimated 50 million children a year. Read to Achieve is the most extensive educational outreach initiative in the history of professional sports.
Under the Read to Achieve umbrella, the New Orleans Hornets focus on the following programs:
Kindergarten through fifth graders participate in the Books & Bugs Reading Program
Middle school students are involved with writing seminars through the Heart and Sole Program
Ninth through 12th graders prepare for the Hoops for Higher Education Scholarship
Students are also recognized for their reading achievements through the Outstanding Reader Program
Forms for the Books & Bugs Reading program and the Outstanding Reader program have been mailed to schools throughout the 10-parish region in and around New Orleans. If you would like to participate in either program, please contact your school administrator to see if forms are available.
As a part of the overall Read To Achieve program, the Hornets will hold Reading Timeouts every month throughout schools in the New Orleans region.
Hornets Owner George Shinn and his wife Denise at the Hornets Turkey Dinner Giveaway.