Althea’s Blog: SKDT Makes a Difference at Shriners
December 16, 2009 by Althea
On Sunday Becca, Candace, Jeannie, Katie, Kelly and I participated in a Kings pizza party at Shriners Hospital for Children to bring smiles to the Sacramento youth who’ve been affected by burn accidents.
Heading to the hospital, I didn’t know what to expect because it’s hard to see kids, or anyone, hurt. But now I can see why some of my teammates told me it’s their favorite appearance of the year. The kids, who ranged from two years-old to teenagers, were excited to see us and showed us a lot of courage as we met them one by one. Many of them told us their stories. The most memorable story was a boy who was only two years-old and had been in the hospital since Thanksgiving. Due to precautionary measures at Shriners, kids must be at least 16 years-old to visit, so the boy’s twin sister hadn’t been able to visit him at all. Hearing the story from his parents reminded me how lucky I am to be able to see my sister and all of my family and friends whenever I want.
Kings players Kevin Martin, Sean May, Jason Thompson, Jon Brockman and Sergio Rodriguez also attended the pizza party and made a lot of the children’s day by playing games like Wii, pool and mini basketball with them. Along with handing out pizza and punch, the young Kings fans were given Kings goodie bags filled with a comic book, foam finger, notebook, Wells Fargo stuffed animal and a basketball for the players and us to autograph.
It was a lot of fun meeting all of the children and wonderful to see them receiving such good treatment from the Shriners staff. I hope the remainder of their treatment goes well. I wish them all a special happy holiday!
Tonight will be the Kings first nationally televised game since I’ve been on the Sacramento Kings Dance Team. We’re all very excited! We’ll be performing three routines tonight. My favorite dance will be performed to Ginuwine’s song “Get Involved” and it’s choreographed by SKDT member Gina. Before the game, stop by the ESPN RV and say hi to me and other members of the SKDT. It’s going to be a fun game to be a part of because big and loud crowds give the players and dance team a lot of energy!
I’m excited our SKDT poster is coming out soon! This year’s poster has an urban look to it because we shot it in downtown Sacramento with Kings graffiti in the background and our dresses were splatter painted by local artist David Garibaldi. It was a cold shoot but we kept our composure. Photo shoots are always fun because we get all dressed up and get our hair and makeup done professionally. Last year’s photo shoot experiences made it easier to know what to expect with our poses this year.
I have to get ready for tonight’s game, but I hope to see everyone back at ARCO for the Cavs and Lakers games next week! They are two of my favorite Kings games of the year. Also, stay tuned for the SKDT halftime performance in January!
Be safe and have a happy holiday, Kings fans!
I can't wait for your new poster!
Yup! Can't wait for your new poster!!
Me too…can't wait for the new poster. Big fan, right from the auditions for this season. Btw, was wondering…can you check why I was blocked from following skdt on twitter? "@askbucknaked" is my twitter name. Thanks Althea.