2007-03-20 20:54:54 -
MCLEAN, Va., March 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Each year, Freddie Mac's Hoops for the Homeless(R) nets hundreds of thousands for local nonprofits fighting homelessness among families. This year, in addition to Earvin "Magic" Johnson headlining, Freddie Mac has teamed up with the Washington Wizards All-Star Gilbert Arenas as well as Arenas' Zero Two Hero Foundation to put a hometown focus on a hometown problem for the June 9th Freddie Mac's Hoops for the Homeless(R) three-on-three charity tournament.
"With community support throughout our region, Freddie Mac's Hoops for the Homeless(R) has
helped more families become self-sufficient and find homes of their own. However, with children making up a quarter of the area's homeless population, there is always more to do," said Ralph F. Boyd, executive vice president, Community Relations, Freddie Mac. "The addition of the Washington Wizards and Gilbert Arenas to our team puts a local face on a local problem, and we're delighted to welcome them aboard."
According to a study conducted last year, more than 12,000 individuals are homeless in the DC area, and nearly half of those are families. Arenas has pledged to help raise both public awareness of the problem and the dollars needed to solve it. In addition, he will donate $200 for each 3-pointer he scores in the last home games of the regular season and all home games throughout the playoffs.
"Homelessness is a first hand experience for me and my personal experiences are what have driven me to establish the Zero Two Hero Foundation (Z2H). I want children to grow up safe and healthy, and I want all families to be able to overcome hardship and get back on their feet and into a home, much like my father did for me. Freddie Mac's Hoops for the Homeless(R) is a wonderful event, and I look forward to doing my part to help end homelessness," Arenas said.
As a team, the Washington Wizards have also pledged to support Hoops for the Homeless(R). The Wizards will promote the event and issue with their fan base up until the event. Wizards' players and coaches will attend Hoops, including Gilbert Arenas (playoff dependent). The Wizards are also donating a number of items for the event's silent auction, and money raised from the winning bids will go to the Hoops beneficiaries. The items will appear on the Hoops website and include:
-- Signed basketballs, sneakers and jerseys from Gilbert Arenas, Caron
Butler and Antawn Jamison;
-- Honorary Ball kids for two children between the ages of 8-14 who will
act as a ball kid for a Wizards game next year and will receive four
VIP floor seats for themselves and two family members; and
-- A Hoops for the Homeless(R) Night to Remember for six, who will have
dinner with Wizards Owner Abe Pollin and his wife; President Susan
O'Malley; General Manager Ernie Grunfeld, followed by courtside seats
and a post game visit to the locker room capped off with a personally
signed jersey.
This three-on-three tournament, which tips off June 9 at the Verizon Center, is a daylong, family friendly event that features round robin play with about 50 area teams. To play in the tournament, each team must raise at least $1,000, and on game day are assigned a celebrity coach -- such as Magic Johnson, members of the Washington Wizards, Washington Redskins, and other prominent figures. For spectators, tickets are $5 and children 12 and under are free.
Freddie Mac underwrites the event so that all proceeds go to six outstanding homeless organization, including Hannah House and So Others Might Eat (SOME) in DC; United Communities Against Poverty (UCAP) and Community Ministry of Montgomery County in MD; and Reston Interfaith and Securing Emergency Resources Through Volunteer Service (SERVE) in VA. Last year alone, the event raised more than $900,000.
Also joining the effort to reduce family homelessness, other local companies have also already teamed up to sponsor Freddie Mac's Hoops for the Homeless, including The Washington Post, NBC4, CBS Radio, and Metro.
As the Washington area's top corporate philanthropist, Freddie Mac has invested more than $300 million over the past 15 years to strengthen families and communities. Also, thousands of the company's approximately 5,200 employees have given their time and charitable contributions over the years by participating in volunteer activities throughout the community such as Hoops for the Homeless(R).
For more information on Freddie Mac's Hoops for the Homeless(R) or on the issue of homelessness, visit http://www.hoopsforthehomeless.org/.
For more information on Zero Two Hero Foundation please visit http://www.gilsarena.com/
Freddie Mac is a stockholder-owned company established by Congress in 1970 to support homeownership and rental housing. Freddie Mac fulfills its mission by purchasing residential mortgages and mortgage-related securities, which it finances primarily by issuing mortgage-related securities and debt instruments in the capital markets. Over the years, Freddie Mac has made home possible for one in six homebuyers and more than four million renters in America. http://www.freddiemac.com/
Source: Freddie Mac
