Abundance is a good thing. Having an abundance of #SportsDoingGood stories, that is a very good thing.
In putting together my most recent #SportsDoingGood post, I found enough stories to put two posts together. There will never be a shortage of negative sports-related stories dominating the sports media landscape. The positive stories, unfortunately, get pushed aside while everyone opines about the negative ones. That’s the impetus behind #SportsDoingGood. I want to highlight the good and hopefully others do too.
Leading us off today is NBA star, Pau Gasol:
Here's a reason to root for Pau Gasol on Friday: He's pledged $1,000 per point to UNICEF's Typhoon Haiyan relief fund tw.nbcsports.com/a09
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NBC Sports (@NBCSports) November 21, 2013
When I saw this tweet, I was putting together my last #SportsDoingGood post. I can appreciate when athletes add extra meaning to their games. Yes, there is the desire to win, but those “extra meaningful” games, whether it’s for a loved one, or in this case, relief efforts, can bring out some special performances. Why the Philippines though?
Gasol supports many causes, the magnitude of the Typhoon in the Philippines compelled him to help & rally others to aide the relief effort.
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Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) November 23, 2013
How did Gasol do?
Final #Haiyan relief from @paugasol charity scores clock in at $24K (approx P1.05M) #ReliefPH
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The Philippine Star (@PhilippineStar) November 23, 2013
.@paugasol had 24 pts tonight. He pledged $1,000 for each point towards typhoon relief in the Philippines. http://t.co/FuKMTA8akc
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Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) November 23, 2013
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I’ve been noticing a number of football players with tweets containing the Twitter handle, @CPFSOfficial.
Donate cell phones & cash at Sunday's game as @CPFSOfficial & @TMobile help troops call home! shwks.com/cpfs #SeahawksSalute
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Bobby Wagner (@Bwagz54) November 16, 2013
Curious as I am, I decided to look more into what this group does.
According to their website, cellphonesforsoldiers.com, “Cell Phones for Soldiers Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to providing cost-free communication services to active duty military members and veterans.”
Digging a bit deeper, there are other sports working with CPFS too. Hockey, baseball and even poker too. (No, we’re not discussing whether poker is a sport or not in this post.)
@TBLightning fans, donate a cell phone during the month of Nov. and receive a free ticket for an upcoming game! ow.ly/qAKMi
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CPFS Official (@CPFSOfficial) November 07, 2013
Packing up our cell phones for @CPFSOfficial - helping #American troops around the world call home http://t.co/1s40nVIzY6
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Ultimate Poker (@UltimatePoker) October 24, 2013
Meaningful Mondays kicks off June 23 with our Cellphones for Soldiers Donation Drive kickoff @cpfsofficial
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Bristol Baseball (@PiratesNBristol) November 20, 2013
If you hear that the CPFS program will be at the sporting event you’re going to, see if you can’t help be a difference maker in a military family’s life.
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Through this #SportsDoingGood project, I was introduced to the Twitter account, @sportsandchange. @LatinoSportsGuy introduced me to this group and I love what they are doing. According to their website, “Our mission is to provide access to information, resources and opportunities for those seeking connections with social change and cause-related organizations in the global sports community.”
One thing that Sports and Change is doing has really piqued my interest for this holiday season:
Sports Fans: We've got 6 Ways to "Give An Assist" on #GivingTuesday giveanassist2013.com How will u #GiveAnAssist? http://t.co/NXX4YIhOHT
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Sports&SocialChange (@sportsandchange) November 19, 2013
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Kareem Abdul-Jabbar gave 5,660 career assists. Can you #GiveAnAssist on #GivingTuesday? giveanassist2013.com http://t.co/MAHrFyguL3
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Sports&SocialChange (@sportsandchange) November 22, 2013
With the holiday season upon us, you might be looking for ways to give back this year. #GivingTuesday is coming up next Tuesday, December 3rd. Many opportunities are available for you to help others through this program. For those wanting to give with a sports twist, find out how through Sports and Social Change and the #GiveAnAssist program, here.
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#SportsDoingGood Tidbits
- Recycle. Get tickets. Nice promotion from the Anaheim Ducks.
- Illinois’ Orange Krush Foundation: Team makes threes. Help the community.
@CadChica - Good #SportsDoingGood example: "Orange Krush impacting local organizations" foxs.pt/18wCeRD
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Bob McKamey (@BobMcKamey) November 23, 2013
- Manchester United and UNICEF. Why they do what they do.
Video: Players including Patrice Evra explain why #UTD4UNICEF is such an important partnership bit.ly/1ekOO7z http://t.co/o7D2pUAO84
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Manchester United (@ManUtd) November 21, 2013
- “Baseball in Dube Bute”
Baseball in Dube Bute! Thanks @pantego for the uniforms and @Rangers for the hats and shoes! http://t.co/YbFIebJH2P
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(@EthiopiaSmile) November 26, 2013
- Precious pictures telling a story.
Un niño de 6-años que sufre de leucemia recibe una sorpresa de Carlos Ruiz y el mascota de los @Phillies. http://t.co/0Jj4LaekIC
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LasMayores.com (@LasMayores) November 22, 2013
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Entire #SportsDoingGood Series:
- “Doing Good” In Sports
- Just Thinking…#SportsDoingGood
- #SportsDoingGood: Grassroot Soccer
- #SportsDoingGood: Yuwa-India
- #SportsDoingGood: Pitch-in For Baseball
- #SportsDoingGood: 9/26/13
- #SportsDoingGood: 9/30/13
- #SportsDoingGood: 10/9/13
- #SportsDoingGood: 10/29/13
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