Updates
Tue, Dec 22nd 2009, 10:53
LaMarcus's toy drive in Dallas a big success
LaMarcus Aldridge saw the latter part of the Blazer’s long road trip as a chance to go home and do some good. The Dallas native spent much of his off day Monday delivering toys to more 700 needy kids at the Kiest Park Recreation Center in Oak Cliff and the Pleasant Oak Recreation Center.
“These are places I grew up in and played basketball in the area,” said Aldridge, 24. “I thought it would be a good thing to give back to areas that gave to me. I know these are low-income areas and it was a rewarding experience to see the kids’ reactions and to hear some of the stories.”
One story that stuck with Aldridge involved a family losing their home in a fire.
“This was their Christmas,” he said. “That felt good to hear.”
Aldridge hopes these trips to Dallas continue. He wasn’t sure how he would pull it off before the season, but fate intervened through the league office. It just so happened he found himself in his hometown the week of Christmas.
“This is something that I want to become a tradition,” he said. “Actually, I was trying to figure out how to do this and then the schedule came out. It couldn’t have worked out any better.”