Our Blue Alliance captains and members have done an outstanding job spreading Thunder pride across our state. They truly have built a community, both within each chapter and among all the members, and we’re very proud of what they’ve done to reinforce the Thunder philosophy of “Team Is One.”

A great example came last night through a story we heard from Matthew Goeringer, the Clinton Blue Alliance captain, about one of his members’ act of generosity.

Through a work connection, Tasha Ball wound up with four tickets to last night’s Game 2 against Memphis. These weren’t just any tickets, though – these were floor seats, just off of center court.

Trying to find a few folks willing to join her in OKC that night, an excited Tasha called several friends throughout the day – including Matthew, who, having had a chance to sit in those seats once before, selflessly declined in order to give someone else the opportunity to experience a game from that vantage.

Tasha found one friend to come to the game with her, but didn’t have any takers on the remaining pair. Rather than trying to sell them, she decided to pass along the spirit of generosity that left her with the tickets in the first place.

On Tuesday night, the Kia Thunder Rewards Zone was buzzing, with it being both the Playoffs and a beautiful evening. More than 600 fans lined up for their chance to win the final 50 pairs of tickets for the game, hoping to see the Thunder in action live.

Tasha picked out a couple of people in line for the Rewards Zone and started talking to them. She asked if they had ever been to a game before; one had, but his friend had not. She waited until the numbers were called for the Rewards Zone winners and saw that the two friends had won a pair of tickets. Tasha went back to them and asked if they’d want to trade tickets with her and get an upgrade. After determining her offer was legitimate, the two gentlemen were thrilled when they realized exactly where the seats Tasha was offering were.

But she wasn’t done yet. Taking the two Love’s Loud City tickets she had traded her extra floor seats for, Tasha flagged down two people who hadn’t won tickets in the Rewards Zone, told them they were going to be able to go to the game and handed them the remaining pair.

As Matthew wrote, “Tasha made four strangers that she’ll never seen again, very happy.”

We are so very proud to see examples like this of our fans so willingly embracing the spirit of teamwork, community and family that our organization seeks to embody.

- Karina Henderson

The message on the T-shirts that filled each of the 18,203 seats in Chesapeake Energy Arena for Game 1 of the 2013 Playoffs may have been a little bittersweet for one of the wonderful volunteers who was helping put them out before the game.

“Together” is a word that usually describes Suzie, pictured at right, and her friend Janet – but not on that day.

Suzie and Janet have been through nearly a lifetime together. They worked together at the Social Security Administration in OKC for 40 years. They go to church together at Forest Hill Christian, a church which has sent a loyal group of volunteers to help T-shirt the arena every year the Thunder has been in the postseason.

They went through the Murrah bombing together in 1995. And they were almost together in their fight against cancer.

Suzie is a recent cancer survivor, and the only reason Janet wasn’t there with her before Game 1 was that she had just started chemotherapy for her own cancer.

Even without her friend by her side, Suzie still describes the time spent volunteering to help prepare the arena as “fellowship time.” She and many of the church members who regularly join in the efforts see helping the Thunder as helping the community, giving back to a team that she says gives so much to our city.

Both Suzie and Janet are retired, and they want to spend their retirement time giving back and helping others. As she put it, “It gets you out of yourself.”

The group from Forest Hill is back today, laying out T-shirts and doing their part to help the Thunder and its fans prepare for Game 5. Just like our team on the court, they’ll rely on teamwork and togetherness to accomplish their goal. But unlike the players, this group will be done with their task for the day before tipoff.

- Karina Henderson