The Houston Strong Clothing Drive/Charity Games took place Saturday, September 16, 2017 at MI3 Center (1135 Ella Crossing Drive Houston, Texas 77090) from 11 a.m. – 7:30 p.m. This fundraiser was organized to help serve families from the greater Houston area impacted from Hurricane Harvey and the subsequent flooding thereafter. Now in the recovery stage, families needed many items to assist in rebuilding their lives. MI3 Ministries partnered with Power Media to collect clothing, shoes, household supplies, school supplies, diapers, formula, water, food, and pet food for dogs and cats. All items donated were distributed directly to the families in need.
Konfuzion Hoops, Sir Issac, Air Up There and Sergio Armani played at the Adult game and entertained the crowd with their athleticism. DJ Princess of the Trill played music and kept the crowd moving.
Houston Rapper Lil' Flip attended the event in support of our efforts! Over 1200 people attended the event and brought in donations.
The donation center rooms opened and during the event until the rooms were closed September 30, 2017, our efforts assisted 514 individuals with clothing, food and supplies. We received a large donation from Spradley Barr Automotive Group in Cheyenne, Wyoming who organized a collection drive involving 11 organizations in the area. Nichole Moutray from Spradley Barr and two other volunteers, Ron Bailey and Dennis Jessen drove two trucks to Houston, Texas filled with donations to aid in our efforts.
Several local volunteers came out and ran the rooms, folded clothes, organized supplies and assisted people as they came in.
Kevin Cook of The Houston Chronicle wrote about the charity drive. The article is as follows:
MI3 Center, Power Media keep attention focused on relief efforts
The #HoustonStrong #HoopForHarvey charity event, featuring three high school exhibition contests at 12:30, 2:00 and 3:30 p.m. and a 5:00 p.m. adult celebrity game, fell on Sept. 16, well after the initial shock from Hurricane Harvey had passed.
The late date was no coincidence, said MI3 Center Director of Operations Mark Irabor, Jr. The MI3 Center, in conjunction with Power Media, played host to the Hoop for Harvey games, and the later date was meant to serve notice: the media blitz may have subsided, but people in Houston communities are still very much in need.
"We got together and figured, 'hey we need to do something, do an event to help bring some awareness, bring some help even after the initial cameras [and attention] go away,'" Irabor said. "Everybody was in on it [hurricane relief] when it was happening. Now, people are getting back to regular life, and sometimes it's easy to forget."
Irabor and an all-star lineup of more than 60 Houston-area standouts - including Yates star Jock Hughes (Rivals TX Class of 2018, No. 38), Lamar forward Myles Burns (Rivals TX Class of 2018, No. 54) and Dekaney guard Micah Peavy (247Sports TX Class of 2020, No. 6) - were determined that nobody would forget the families still suffering, still in need of assistance in the wake of one of the most destructive storms in U.S. history.
"At the end of the day there's still people now that are just now getting back to their homes, just now seeing the damage, just now seeing what do we have, what don't we have," Irabor said. "And the biggest part is just making sure that people know that the MI3 center and Power Media are here to help these people anytime, with anything they need. We have people here that need things themselves, but they're also giving their time to volunteer and help. We're very proud and blessed to able to be a part of this and have this thing going."
Irabor called the #HoopForHarvey event, which featured Houston-born rapper Kirko Bangz, a North Shore High School grad, streetballer Adrian 'Konfuzion' Mack, local recording artists Propain and Stunna Bam, among others, an unqualified success, and did not rule out further relief efforts in the future.
Irabor said the twofold mission of the event - bring awareness to the continuing need for aid and get the kids and student-athletes involved in a meaningful, helpful way - was precisely in line with the MI3 Center and parent organization MI3 Ministries' overall mission, and he hopes that both are more visible to those seeking aid, with the event over and the aid distributed.
"We are MI3 Ministries, and what we do is more towards the kids and getting them out there [helping]," Irabor said. "We try to put the feet on the ground and get things going."
We would like to acknowledge the following:
Ayanna Rutledge
Brandon Dabney
Brianna Fuller
Chener Clanton
Domonic Boston
Ethel Harrison
Felicia Fuller
Felton Lee
Frances Ford
Iyhana Reynolds
Jasmyn Goodman
Joseph Stewart
Kathy Dabney
Kimberley Robinson
Lacey Moore
Linda Bellaro
Mark Francis
Michaela Rutledge
Pastor John Goodman
Roslyn Polly
Schlita Davis
Shawn Goodman
Shonte Newman
Tacarra Moten
Vondre Richardson
Wade Ford
We would also like to thank:
ANB Bank/April Barker
Anthony Ortiz State Farm
Cadillac Ranch
Comfort Inn Cheyenne
Hampton Inn/Del Jimenez
Jan Daugaard/Red Cross
KGWN/Heidi Hammond
Laramie County Community College/Scott Noble
Penske Truck Rental
St. Joseph’s Church
Wyoming Department of Transportation
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