Plant City Observer

Club Members Receive Prizes from Bucs

It’s one thing for members of the local Boys and Girls Club to be recognized on the field by fellow football teammates, however, it’s another when they receive recognition from professional football players in the National Football League (NFL).

The West Plant City Boys and Girls Club ,as well as those at Tomlin Middle School and Marshall Middle Magnet School, received surprise gifts from Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ players Leonard Fournette and Tristan Wirfs.

The Boys and Girls Club of Tampa Bay selected the three Plant City clubs to join them in receiving early Christmas gifts. 

Fournette distributed Walmart gift cards among the kids, each worth $125.

“I was very grateful when I heard of it and I was very surprised that somebody would do that for us,” said Allan Hess, a student at Marshall Middle.

He and other members from his club were ready to put the gift cards to good use.

They made a trip to a Walmart in Tampa where they went on a shopping spree.

In total, 80 kids roamed from aisle to aisle and one department to the next.  

Some knew exactly what they wanted before they stepped through the doors, while others were selective in choosing what they felt was worthy of making it into their carts. Club member Leah Perez wasn’t hesitant to buy within her budget.

“I had to scavenger hunt, but I was in a group with a lot of my friends,” the sixth-

grader said. “I got two Nerf guns [and] a camera with some lens.”

However, in a selfless act of kindness, students also thought about what to purchase for their loved ones. Perez added to her cart a toy for her baby sister. Marley Olmedo picked out jewelry for her sister and mother.

“It was a good experience,” she said. “I had a lot of fun. I knew what I was going to buy because it was typically based off of Christmas presents.”  

The eighth-grader was also one of the selected few to benefit from a gift from Wirfs. The football star granted students free passes to attend one of two Bucs games, where their images were posted on the jumbotron. 

For Olmedo, the fun only heightened. She caught a ball that a player tossed into the crowd during warm-ups.

It was good practice as she plans to try out for the girls’ football team in her Boys and Girls Club.

Hess was excited when Marshall Middle Principal Dennis Mayo chose him to be a spectator on the bleachers. 

“I took the opportunity and I ended up going to a Bucs game,” he said. “I thought that was pretty cool.”

Maverick Lawrence is a program director for the local club at Marshall Middle. He too, was impressed by the donation that his group of kids received.

“It’s something thats given me a lot of faith in the community,” Lawrence said. “They don’t have to know you to be able to give, they just want to give with their heart.”

That’s a lesson he said he wants his kids to take away from the experience – that generosity is a core value that can go a long way. 

It was exemplified when the students were considerate in buying gifts not only for themselves, but for others.

And it’s a value that Lawrence and other program leaders try to instill in the kids through their community outreach.

Periodically, they write letters to veterans and nursing homes. Also, on Mondays they volunteer to clean their school.

“I always tell my kids that if you do good, good will come to you,” Lawrence said.

Perez noted that when she gets older, she wants to donate to the organization that provided her opportunities – the Boys and Girls Club.

She has a cousin with a heart condition, and because of the medical treatment given, Perez would like to fund hospitals.

Lawrence noted that he wants the Boys and Girls Club to produce kind-hearted kids who can spark a smile on others, the way two Bucs players did for them.

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