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Community Work Around Dallas
THE "PLAYER SECTION" TICKET PROGRAM
This year Michael Finley participated in the "player section" ticket program. Finley, along with other Mavericks players purchased a minimum of 15 season tickets to every Mavericks home game. This program was done to give children throughout the area the chance to attend a Mavericks game, an oppurtunity they would otherwise not be able to experience and enjoy.
The children were invited to come and sit in the players' sections, such as Finley's section called "Michael's Finatics." Lucky children were even able to meet some of the players in person.
Michael Finley surpassed the minimum purchase of 15 home tickets by purchasing 30 tickets for every home game. He also partnered with Nike in order to provide several wheelchair accessible tickets for handicapped children and their families from the Make A Wish Foundation.
WINNETKA PARK CLEANUP
On March 20th, the Dallas Mavericks players and staff joined many other organizations to clean up Winnetka Park, a park located in West Dallas that was made out of a landfill last fall. The cleanup consisted of filling in dirt, lying sod, picking up trash, and the planting of trees and flowers.
The group of volunteers also cleaned the backboards of a basketball court that Mavericks forward Samaki Walker funded at the park last fall. Then, a group of local artists came and painted the Mavericks team logo on the court. A building on the property was also gutted, and then painted in its preparation for becoming a youth center.
Michael Finley provided a very exciting moment that afternoon for the neighborhood children. An ice cream truck pulled up and Finley then called the children over and bought them all ice cream. He quoted, "I like to watch kids play to see the fun they're having out there and the smiles on their faces."
This cleanup project was part of the NBA TeamUp program. The TeamUp program is league-wide and intended to promote youth community service and volunteering.
GABE ALLEN PLAYGROUND RENOVATION
The Mavericks once again contributed to the community and renovated the playgrounds at Gabe Allen Elementary School in West Dallas as part of NBA TeamUp Day. The entire team, including Head Coach Don Nelson participated in the cleanup and painted playground equipment. The team and the Volunteer Center of Dallas invited 80 Dallas-area high schools to compete in the TeamUp Competition, challenging them in the completion of projects. Kimball High School's Peer Assistance and Leadership group got to meet the Mavericks and to work with them on TeamUp day because of their extensive community outreach programs. The group won a prize package including tickets to the Mavericks April 20th game against the Suns, half-time recognition, and a nomination to enter the NBA's national TeamUp Competition.
The volunteers divided into several groups and built picnic benches, laid gravel, replaced basketball nets, and painted playground equipment. When all the work was done, Coach Nelson and Assistant Coach Charlie Parker grilled hot dogs for the volunteers and after-school children. The players handed out chips, cookies, sodas and T-shirts. They also posed for photos for the children and signed autographs.
Mavericks' guard Michael Finley said, "It's nice for us to be able to come out here on a day off and give something back to the Dallas community. Hopefully this playground will still be here long after we're all gone."
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