HENRY COUNTY, Ga. — How better to celebrate the end of another school year for kids than hanging out with Shaquille O’Neal and getting some free shoes?
That’s the prize for 100 kids at Wesley Lakes Elementary school in McDonough who got a first hand chance to meet O’Neal and pick up some new sneakers.
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The Shaquille O’Neal Foundation, Reebok and Soles4Souls teamed up for the celebration this weekend. It’s part of their mission to distribute 500 new pairs of shoes to kids in need in Henry County by the end of the summer.
Yes, the former NBA Superstar and current NBA Analyst was there himself for the celebration as he was kind of hard to miss. O’Neal helped the kids celebrate making it through a pandemic challenged year that they may never experience again.
“It’s all about the kids. The two things that really hurt me this year were seeing people out of work and I hate seeing kids without what they need,” O’Neal told Channel 2 Action News
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The group Soles to Souls says they’ve been able to distribute over 61 million pairs of shoes in 129 countries in the past 15-years. They were ecstatic to partner up with Shaq who we should add has a home in the Henry County area.
The NBA legend is no stranger to his acts of kindness and giving back to the community. Last month, a video posted to Instagram showed O’Neal paying for a man’s engagement ring at a Georgia jewelry store.
In February, O’Neal foundation awarded grants to six Georgia high school athletic programs hit hard by pandemic to to purchase PPE equipment and other supplies for athletes to stay safe during their seasons.
The foundation also helped deliver holiday spirit by purchasing and giving out more than $5,000 worth of gifts for East Point children.
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