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McGrady bringing his heart to town
By ERNEST HOOPER
Published July 20, 2006
Evan Barber couldn't control his enthusiasm. When the 14-year-old Wesley Chapel resident learned he will meet Houston Rockets guard Tracy McGrady on Friday, his enthusiasm soared as high as McGrady does in one of his eye-popping, acrobatic moves on the court. Of course, you expect a teen battling a rare, life-threatening blood disorder to be excited about meeting his sports hero. "He started kissing me all over my face when I delivered his dream," said Kristin Bedinghaus, dream coordinator for the Children's Dream Fund. "To see the smile on his face when I told him he was going to be having dinner with Tracy, he was just glowing." The dream comes true at the inaugural Tracy McGrady Charitable Foundation's Shoot for the Stars dinner on Friday at the TECO Atrium, 702 N Franklin St. in downtown Tampa. Although McGrady, a 10-year veteran, plays in Houston, he is a native of Auburndale and has devoted considerable time and money to his hometown. Jordan Vreeland, a Tampa mortgage broker who grew up with McGrady in Auburndale, is organizing the event. He says McGrady wants to increase the foundation's presence in his home state and make the Tampa gatherings annual events. In addition to the $100-per-person dinner, the benefit features two celebrity parties. On Friday night, promoters promise a host of NBA and NFL players will attend a celebrity gathering at Studio Inc., 3603 W Waters Ave. On Saturday night, McGrady and friends are expected at Centro Ybor's Big City Tavern, 1600 E Eighth Ave. Admission is $20. McGrady will be pretty busy and plenty tired after this weekend because he also is hosting a basketball clinic Saturday afternoon at Memorial Middle School, 4702 N Central Ave. Proceeds from all the events will go to McGrady's foundation. For information or tickets, call (813) 340-6223 or visit www.mcgradyfoundation.org. Vreeland also said people should not be surprised McGrady is setting aside time to make Barber's dream come true. The foundation is largely devoted to benefiting youths. Making dreams come true, helping kids and bringing an NBA presence to Tampa? This is an easy slam dunk for McGrady. That's all I'm saying. Ernest Hooper can be reached at hooper@sptimes.com or (813) 226-3406.
[Last modified July 20, 2006, 01:56:20]
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