SMILE IF YOU ARE A PISTONS FAN

Ken and I were very excited to go downtown today. In addition to our usual food packages and clothing, we had some great t-shirts that were donated by the Detroit Piston's organization.

Through a connection with ex-Piston's player John Long, I reached out to the Community Relations Director Dennis Sampier and his staff. The Piston's organization was nice enough to give us over sixty t-shirts they had from a previous charity event. The shirts were a perfect way to connect with some of the guys we would meet on the streets downtown in Detroit.

As soon as we got off the expressway at I-75 and Grand River, we pulled over and met a guy who looked like he could use some help. We gave him a package of food and a  Piston's t-shirt and he smiled really wide. I wonder, when was the last time he smiled like that . I asked him who was his favorite Piston player of all time and he said without missing a beat "Microwave and Rodman," Another guy said that he liked Bill Laimbeer. Then there was Clayton, a double amputee, sitting in his wheel chair on a corner of a downtown street. When we gave him his Piston's t-shirt, he got a big smile on his face. I asked if I could take a picture of him and he said sure. His favorite memories of the Piston's were the back to back years and Isiah Thomas, his favorite player. James,a regular at Hart Plaza, always remembered when Isiah kissed Magic on the cheek before the jump ball to start the game.

I want to personally thank the Detroit Piston's and especially Mr.Gores for helping us with our new effort to make a difference in Detroit through our Heart 2 Hart program. The gifts of these t-shirts brought smiles, good memories and some pride, even for a moment, to people who are struggling daily just to have their basic needs of food and clothing met. I'm so glad we had an opportunity to work together and give some of these people a fresh start to the day.

Larry Oleinick