Seems like a really decent guy to me. The most tragic of the children -- the ones with arms broken, the babies already exposed to crack cocaine, the ones so endangered by their family environment that removing them is the only alternative -- those are the residents of McLamore Center. It is these kids who have captivated Alonzo Mourning, that make giving not a choice, but an imperative. Mourning was an orphan; he knows what even a little bit of love means. But to agencies such as Children's Home Society of Florida, the generosity and hands-on work of Mourning has had an even greater impact. "If he wasn't as giving as he is, we would not be able to provide the quantity and quality of services we provide," says Carla Penn, vice president of CHS' southeastern Florida region. His foundation has handed out more than $2 million in donations, grants and economic benefits; the majority has gone to CHS. "There are a lot of young people out there who, if given the chance, will have successful lives," says Mourning. "You can have an impact not just through dollars, but also through giving love and comfort to kids. I know a little love went a long way with me. I am trying to use myself and other people to help the less fortunate, especially the young ones." Every year, the foundation renovates a park in South Florida. It sponsors four rap sessions annually where athletes and businessmen interact with needy kids, providing advice on everything from peer pressure to coping with violence. It gives generously to 100 Black Men in Florida, an organization that provides mentoring, leadership guidance and other services for at-risk minority youth. Now it has joined local businessman Marty Margulies to bring life to a nearly completed $3 million community center in Overtown, one of the poorest and most crime-ridden areas of Miami. Margulies is building the center, which should open in the fall. He has asked Mourning to run it for him. "Overtown has over 3,300 kids, and 1,500 drop out of school," says Mourning, the superb Heat center. "It is a sad situation that has been ignored long enough. I know if we structure this center right, it will have an impact on a lot of kids' lives so they can make more of themselves." It will cost at least $500,000 a year to staff and run the center. Mourning currently is raising the funds through private donations. He also is seeking a $5 million federal grant. He has grown accustomed to working with these lofty amounts. He was diagnosed with a rare kidney disease in 2000. Since then, he has raised $1.2 million for research and support related to the problem -- and then matched the donations dollar for dollar. Funds for his foundation come in large part from his annual Zo's Summer Groove, a weekend-long extravaganza in Miami that includes a gala dinner, celebrity basketball game, clinics, counseling and a free block party for local residents. A smaller fund-raiser also is held in Hampton, Va., near where Mourning was reared by a foster mother who eventually took care of 49 children. "When you see him come in and get down on the floor and play with our kids, it is so very rare," says CHS' Penn. "He is making a difference."
Great article Rox They did something on Zo on the NBA on NBC's halftime show a while back. Even before his kidney illness he was always a charitable and good man.
