Teacher dance contest FTW! #RallyforMagnolia pic.twitter.com/4OAWbX5XD3
— Kings Community (@Kings_Community) September 2, 2015
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When the Sacramento Kings almost skipped town in 2011 and once again in 2013, there was a lot of talk about what a huge community asset they were. “Bigger than Basketball” has been run into the ground through campaigning, fans and even LeBron James. But it’s hard not to see the Kings as just that in the Sacramento area.
On Wednesday afternoon, a school in the foothills felt the power of the only game in town. No, DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay didn’t storm the gym of Magnolia Intermediate School to get the crowd going. They didn’t need to be there.
Dancers, drummers, break dancers, former Kings player Henry Turner, MC Scott Freshour and a PA announcer Scott Moak showed up and rocked the house. And everyone went home with a smile.
“I think it was real invigorating for the students,” principal Gene Morgan told Cowbell Kingdom. “This is my fourth year here and clearly this is the most excitement we’ve had for a rally since I’ve been here.”
The small school nestled between Auburn and Grass Valley has never had a show come to town like this. Sure they get the usual assemblies that roll through, but this was more than your typical dog and pony show. Not only did the Kings show up, but they brought a much needed financial boost as well.
Thieves broke into Magnolia two weeks before school began. They shattered windows, set off fire extinguishers and stole all of the school’s IPads, amongst other thing.
This isn’t a wealthy community. No one was stepping forward with a $12,000 donation to replace the stolen items. The IPads were bought and paid for over years of fundraising by the parent teacher club and the school was back to square one.
“We’ve had the chance to do rallies at schools for years, but this one, not just because of the start of school, but because of what happened here and the fact that these kids’ school was taken advantage of, they were taken advantage of because of the vandalism, they were very much appreciative,” said Moak, Kings PA announcer and vice president of community impact.
The Kings dropped off a check that will pay for nearly half of what was lost. Through fundraising and a matching donation by the Kings Foundation, the principal was handed a check for $5000. But in reality, the money didn’t even matter to the students.
For one day, students at Magnolia Intermediate felt special. They cheered. They watched their teachers have a dance off and they went nuts for free t-shirts, mini-balls and sunglasses. It wasn’t about a player signing autographs or even a couple of cases of Ipads. It was a professional basketball team invading their school for an hour of craziness.
“We took their minds off it for a little bit and allowed them to have some fun, to smile, to get some free stuff and just know that someone cared about them, that’s the most important thing,” Moak said.
That is the power of the Sacramento Kings. They are indeed a community asset. They mean more than just purple and black or the current cast of characters donning uniforms. It’s a strange phenomena to watch a group of kids react in such a way, but I guess it makes sense.
“With the vandalism we saw the bad side of society, and with the Kings and other people who have stepped to help us out, we’ve seen the good side of society,” Morgan said.
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