July 28, 2006
Washington, D.C. - Just days after winning his first NBA Championship as a member of the Miami Heat, former Georgetown University basketball standout Alonzo Mourning was back at work.
He wasn't out on the hardwood, scoring points and grabbing rebounds for the Heat. Mourning was back to work on for an organization he started - Alonzo Mourning Charities, Inc. (AMC). Through his work with AMC, Mourning has been recognized as one of the most charitable athletes in professional sports.
AMC is an organization that allows donors with varied interest in children's issues the opportunity of giving to several charities from one contribution. The benefiting organizations of AMC all help with the development of at-risk children and families, including those who have been abused, abandoned and hospitalized, most notably the 100 Black Men of South Florida, Children's Home Society of South Florida and the Overtown Youth Center. The foundation has raised over $5 million for various organizations that aid in the development of undeserved children and their families.
The most recent event of Alonzo Mourning Charities, Inc. was the 10th Annual Tyson Foods Zo's Summer Groove (ZSG) held July 13-16 in Miami, Fla. The five-day affair offered an assortment of events to appeal to a varied audience, including youth basketball clinics, a golf tournament, concert, comedy show, gala dinner, block party, all-star basketball game and numerous after-party functions.
The 2006 ZSG saw athletes such as Antoine Walker, Dikembe Mutombo, Artis Gilmore, Michael Doleac and Nick Van Exel tee-off at the ZSG Golf Classic, while the ZSG Comedy Show featured comedians Steve Harvey, J. Anthony Brown, Katt Williams, Gary Owen, Marvin Dixon and Benji Brown.
The next event AMC is hosting will be ZO & SHAQ'S Golf Tournament, held at the Trump National Golf Course in Braircliff Manor, N.Y. on Monday, August 21.
AMC will also host "33 Thanksgivings," an event started in 2000 when the organization delivered a complete holiday meal to 33 unsuspecting families throughout various South Florida communities. The event has expanded to 333 meals delivered, in order to give Thanksgiving a special meaning for families who would otherwise be without one.
AMC was established in 1997 and aims to improve the quality of life and enhance educational and economic opportunities for all minorities based on the precepts of respect for family, education, spirituality, justice and integrity. AMC supports organizations and programs that provide human services and mentoring in several locations other than South Florida, including Hampton Roads, Va. and New Jersey.
Earlier this year, Mourning, along with former Georgetown teammate Dikembe Mutombo, was featured in a FoxSports.com story focusing on athletes who have given back to their communities. In the piece, written by Dan Neil, the former Hoya hoopsters were tabbed among the top-10 "most generous athletes."
