Archive for March, 2012

Thunder auctions: Stretching our reach

Thursday, March 29th, 2012

When the city of Brazzaville, Republic of Congo – Serge Ibaka’s hometown – was struck by a tragic accident earlier this month, the Thunder stepped up to help by raising funds for relief through an in-game auction and raffle.

It wasn’t the first time the team has worked with a player to extend our reach beyond our regular community programs.

In times past, players have asked to work with the Thunder Community Foundation to help support causes that they connect with on a more personal level or want to support beyond their individual means.

For example, on Sunday, the team worked with Russell Westbrook to host another special auction and raffle during the Miami Heat game. Westbrook chose to support Sanctuary Women’s Development Center, an Oklahoma City organization that helps homeless and low-income women and children to overcome poverty. With items donated from the Thunder, from Westbrook, from a local artist and even from the Miami Heat, the auction and raffle raised $12,500 to benefit Sanctuary.

If you’re headed to the game this Monday, April 2 (against the Memphis Grizzlies), you’ll want to check out another auction and raffle that stems from a player-team partnership. James Harden is helping the YWCA of Oklahoma City kick off a capital campaign to expand the capacity of their shelter for battered women and children.

Harden will put up for auction his jersey worn during Monday’s game, which he’ll autograph while meeting the auction winner postgame. Other autographed items will be up for auction, and a team-signed ball will be raffled off.

Stop by the tables outside of Section 120 during Monday’s game, or CLICK HERE to give your direct support to this outstanding cause.

UPDATE 4/3: Last night, our fans’ tremendous support helped the Thunder Cares Foundation (new name!) raise more than $15,000 to help the YWCA of Oklahoma City. Great job!

- Karina Henderson

Posted in Community, Game Nights, Players | 1 Comment »

Service and song

Monday, March 26th, 2012

As Senior Airman Ashley Osborn’s alto tones floated through Chesapeake Energy Arena earlier this month, you could almost hear in the notes the deep appreciation she has for the song she sang prior to the Thunder vs. Houston Rockets game.

“[The national anthem] is such an important song, and having served, it makes it that much more important,” she said shortly after her performance on the Thunder’s Military Appreciation Night.

Osborn, who has been in the Air National Guard since 2007, has always had a love of singing, and as she grew up in southwest Oklahoma City, she also developed a heart for service.

“I’ve always considered myself kind of a patriot – runs in my family. My dad was a draftee in Vietnam; my brother’s an Army Special Forces medic,” she noted. “And I just like the thought of being part of something bigger than who I am.”

Though she serves her country, Osborn says the Air National Guard has really served her.

“The lessons that I’ve learned because of the military are boundless,” she said.

Beyond those life lessons, many opportunities have been afforded her through her service to develop her passion for singing.

In 2008, Osborn deployed for a year with Tops in Blue, a group of Air Force entertainers who travel the world to perform for fellow members of the Air Force. Being able to perform in 42 states and 33 countries was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for a lifelong entertainer.

“My parents will tell you I sang my first word, I didn’t speak it,” she smiled. “I did my first church solo when I was about five or six years old, and I was kind of hooked since then.”

She doesn’t take lightly the opportunities she’s had through the Guard, acknowledging that she would never have been able to sing the anthem at an NBA game without them.

“It’s my honor and pleasure to be able to do something that I love, while at the same time representing something that has so much history behind it,” she said.

“Everybody always thanks me for my service, and I feel like that’s not even how it should go. I should thank them for letting me serve.”

CLICK HERE to watch Osborn’s performance.

- Karina Henderson

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Wave your flags in the air

Friday, March 23rd, 2012

A favorite in-game giveaway item every year seems to be the Homeland car flags, which will be distributed to every Thunder fan at Chesapeake Energy Arena tonight (Friday). Over the years, these flags have become prized possessions for many fans, whether they’ve picked them up at the game or in Homeland stores – so prized, in fact, that some can’t seem to let go of their old ones.

Earlier today, we asked our followers via Facebook and Twitter to send in photos of their old car flags still in use, offering to replace one lucky fan’s car flag and send them a prize pack. From the photos we’ve seen, several of you really, really don’t seem to want to give up your old flags (unless you get a replacement), having loyally flown them for a long time.

Here are a few of the pix we’ve received – keep sending them in over the weekend (either send a Twitter @-reply to @okcthunder or email twitter@thunder-nba.com), and we’ll announce a winner at the end of the weekend.

Don’t have a car flag and not going to the game? Head to Homeland starting Saturday, March 24 and pick one up (while supplies last) with the purchase of ten items from the Thunder Tipoff Center!

UPDATE 3/29: Congratulations to Daniel Rodgers, who got to replace his well-worn Thunder car flag with a new one – and got some other great Thunder stuff!

- Karina Henderson

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Kids Club for Special Care

Friday, March 23rd, 2012

One of the many local organizations the Thunder works with on a regular basis is Special Care, which offers year-round early childhood education, therapy and after-school and summer programs for children both with and without special needs.

Because of the excellent work they do for so many children and their families, Devon decided to donate 100 of their Devon Thunder Kids Club memberships to the children at Special Care, and delivered all the goodies that come with being part of the Kids Club – including a tote, Rumble bobblehead and more – to the facility yesterday, with the help of Rumble and the Thunder Girls.

Several of the pictures from the event that showed the joy Devon and the Thunder shared were too good not to post. Here are a few that demonstrate just how much fun everyone had together at Thursday’s event. Enjoy!

(Photos by J.P. Wilson)

- Karina Henderson

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Tote transformations

Wednesday, March 21st, 2012

At last Sunday’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers, fans at Chesapeake Energy Arena were treated to a pretty sharp giveaway – a tote bag shaped like a small jersey, courtesy of U.S. Cellular.

The totes, which are made of a stretchy mesh material, evidently looked so much like jerseys that some fans decided to use them as such.

Even at the game, a few fans cut a hole in the bottom of the jersey and donned them over their shirts. In the past few days, we’ve seen that they weren’t the only ones:

Katrina’s cat and Jordan’s pup, Pipe, also found themselves “Thundering up” in the U.S. Cellular totes over the weekend – whether they liked it or not (though neither seems to be minding too much).

Points for creativity, Thunder fans.

- Karina Henderson

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Extended Thunder Family

Friday, March 16th, 2012

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When disaster struck in the heart of Africa, many residents there didn’t know where they would get the strength to recover, rebuild or restart their lives after what was lost.

And few residents of Brazzaville, capital city of the Republic of Congo, would have envisioned the strength and support pouring out from Oklahoma City on Friday night.

The Thunder Community Foundation, which holds frequent in-game auctions to raise funds for community outreach programs, decided to donate all of its proceeds from Friday’s auction to help the people of Brazzaville after a munitions depot exploded on March 4, killing more than 250 people, injuring 1,300 more and leaving at least 5,000 homeless when neighborhoods were leveled following the blast.

In true Oklahoma style, support came from all sides, following the lead of Ibaka. The native of Brazzaville donated his autographed game-night jersey, to be presented to the auction winner personally after the game.

Even Tony Parker of the Spurs, OKC’s opponents for the night, gave an autographed jersey for the cause.

As the auction and a special raffle began before the game at Chesapeake Energy Arena, fans crowded the tables, putting in bids and buying up raffle tickets for a team-autographed ball.

But the fans didn’t stop at that. Many fans gave the money for the raffle, but wouldn’t take a ticket. Some threw in extra donations with their purchase.

One fan, Robert Chapman, gave enough money to buy 20 raffle tickets, then took the slips and started giving them to children so they might have a chance to win the drawing.

Chapman (pictured above, in orange) is a Serge fan who found the auction when he came to the game. Though he can only come to a few games a year, he made sure to pitch in for this cause.

Last year, Chapman came to another game when the Thunder was supporting a cause special to Nick Collison and holding another raffle. At that time, “There was this little girl next to me, and she wanted to buy a ticket. And her mom said, well, we can’t afford a ticket,” he recalled. So Chapman bought her a ticket and gave her the joy of a chance to win, while he helped out an important cause.

This year, seeing the opportunity to help Serge’s hometown, he didn’t hesitate to act again.

With the generosity of fans like Chapman, the Thunder brought in $16,000 Friday night, all of which will be donated to UNICEF for their on-the-ground relief efforts in the Republic of Congo.

Any fans interested in adding to the donations and supporting the people of Brazzaville in our extended Thunder family can send a check (with “Congo Relief” in the memo line) to:

Thunder Community Foundation
c/o Christine Berney
Two Leadership Square
211 N. Robinson Ave., Suite 300
Oklahoma City, OK 73102

-Karina Henderson

Posted in Community, Game Nights, Players, Thunder Fans | 1 Comment »