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What a great story! Nice to see players give back in such selfless way. I'm a fan of theirs, now!
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...om&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=editorial
Charles Johnson, MarQueis Gray and Mackenzie Moretter make an unlikely group. Johnson is a big, strong wide receiver for the Minnesota Vikings. Gray is an even bigger tight end for the Buffalo Bills. Moretter is an outcast 10-year-old with health issues and a dream to have something she'd never had before: a birthday party with friends.
Such a simple thing, and it looked like even that wasn't going to come true.
What happened? Magic happened. A community, drawn to Mackenzie's story by her mom Jenny's simple plea on Facebook, put on the best damn party ever in Shakopee, Minnesota, on Saturday.
"It was great," Mackenzie told Bleacher Report on Tuesday. "Yes, it was awesome."
I was blessed and honored to meet and help celebrate Mackenzie Moretter birthday today! Thank u so much for having us pic.twitter.com/6iY2PnpQEx
— Charles Johnson (@MrInkredibleXII) April 18, 2015
And, yes, it was awesome that a community rallied, including Johnson and Gray. They showed up with their families, quietly, independently. This wasn't a public relations stunt. It was a human connection.
"[Johnson] showed up early and stayed with his family for a couple of hours," Mackenzie's dad, Matt, said. "He played, danced, played with bubbles—like everyone else there. At that point, he wasn't a football player, but they were a dad, a mom and kids.
"He brought her a present, toys, a pink Charles Johnson jersey with his name and number on the back, and pink shoes that matched. She wore it to school Monday."
The story has gotten some attention, but not through any efforts from Johnson or Gray. In fact, through a Vikings spokesperson, Johnson declined to speak about the party, saying he had talked briefly with local media and now too much attention was coming to him. He felt the focus should be on Mackenzie.
Gray, who played at the University of Minnesota, told Bleacher Report on Wednesday that he tried to avoid attention at the party.
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
"It's not about gloating or posting that I did something for charity," he said. "I'm a human being, too. When people are in need, you go out of your way to make the best of it."
The point is how sports and celebrity can be a platform for good. That seems so obvious, but too often we see examples of athletes and celebrities just using their spotlight and fame to try to take more, as if they're owed something. Johnson and Gray seem to have gone to this party almost in spite of their fame. They certainly weren't trying to get anything out of it.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...om&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=editorial
Charles Johnson, MarQueis Gray and Mackenzie Moretter make an unlikely group. Johnson is a big, strong wide receiver for the Minnesota Vikings. Gray is an even bigger tight end for the Buffalo Bills. Moretter is an outcast 10-year-old with health issues and a dream to have something she'd never had before: a birthday party with friends.
Such a simple thing, and it looked like even that wasn't going to come true.
What happened? Magic happened. A community, drawn to Mackenzie's story by her mom Jenny's simple plea on Facebook, put on the best damn party ever in Shakopee, Minnesota, on Saturday.
"It was great," Mackenzie told Bleacher Report on Tuesday. "Yes, it was awesome."
I was blessed and honored to meet and help celebrate Mackenzie Moretter birthday today! Thank u so much for having us pic.twitter.com/6iY2PnpQEx
— Charles Johnson (@MrInkredibleXII) April 18, 2015
And, yes, it was awesome that a community rallied, including Johnson and Gray. They showed up with their families, quietly, independently. This wasn't a public relations stunt. It was a human connection.
"[Johnson] showed up early and stayed with his family for a couple of hours," Mackenzie's dad, Matt, said. "He played, danced, played with bubbles—like everyone else there. At that point, he wasn't a football player, but they were a dad, a mom and kids.
"He brought her a present, toys, a pink Charles Johnson jersey with his name and number on the back, and pink shoes that matched. She wore it to school Monday."
The story has gotten some attention, but not through any efforts from Johnson or Gray. In fact, through a Vikings spokesperson, Johnson declined to speak about the party, saying he had talked briefly with local media and now too much attention was coming to him. He felt the focus should be on Mackenzie.
Gray, who played at the University of Minnesota, told Bleacher Report on Wednesday that he tried to avoid attention at the party.
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
"It's not about gloating or posting that I did something for charity," he said. "I'm a human being, too. When people are in need, you go out of your way to make the best of it."
The point is how sports and celebrity can be a platform for good. That seems so obvious, but too often we see examples of athletes and celebrities just using their spotlight and fame to try to take more, as if they're owed something. Johnson and Gray seem to have gone to this party almost in spite of their fame. They certainly weren't trying to get anything out of it.
Come out and support Mackenzie at her 10th bday party at Shakopee Park!! pic.twitter.com/pvfaPUgnyJ
— MarQueis Gray (@MarQueisG) April 18, 2015
And it comes down to a basic character issue, where they were able to connect with this girl and her parents, a manager at Chili's (Matt) and a customer service manager at a restaurant repair and parts store (Jenny).
But still, Mackenzie was the star of the day Saturday. According to her dad, she was diagnosed at age 1 with Sotos syndrome, which caused gigantism and also speech and learning issues. He said in some ways she acts similarly to a kid with autism, including outbursts.
"The struggles we've had with Mackenzie's special needs...I know she's been an outsider," he said. "Every kid [at school] gets a star of the week where they're the focus of the week. Well, I showed up and they're all outside at recess [when Mackenzie was star], and they're all outside playing and having fun, and my daughter's in the corner by herself.
"She has always played with her older sister's friends, but she never had someone calling her and coming to her house like kids should have. Every kid should have a circle of friends."
He said Mackenzie's birthday parties in the past have been just with family members. This time, she wanted friends. But with 10 invitations out, some people said they weren't coming and others didn't respond at all.
"My wife was crying; her heart was breaking all week long," Matt said. "Her daughter wants a birthday party, and we don't know how we're going to make it happen. So on Friday morning, [Jenny] put out this plea. It was an appeal to some moms out there, and dads, that have kids and maybe have some time to play with her."
The appeal included, "She is incredibly loving and wants more than anything to have friends." And, "You don't have to bring gifts or stay long." And, "Thank you all for reading a mother's wish!"
"From there," Matt said, "it just blew up."
Courtesy of Jenny Moretter
It took off, thanks to social media. It got to Johnson's wife, Kalyn, who replied that she and her kids were coming, and so was her husband, the Minnesota Vikings player. It got to Gray's wife, Alley, too.
"My wife was on Facebook and I was lying in bed watching TV," Gray said. "She comes running into the room. 'I just found something on Facebook.'"
He said he felt awful that "a 10-year-old girl doesn't have friends to come to a birthday party."
She ended up having plenty.
"When we first got there, we couldn't even find her," Gray said. "There were so many kids, we had to fight our way through the crowd. When we found Mackenzie, we got a quick little picture with her, and I told her she was doing a great job and hugged her. She was smiling everywhere."
Gray said he was shocked to run into Johnson there.
In the end, Matt estimated that 300 to 400 people showed up. A local photographer donated her time. A local DJ showed up for free. A restaurant brought over an enormous cake. A sandwich shop provided sandwiches. The fire department brought by a truck for the kids to climb on.
And a bunch of dads hung around a couple of NFL players. Truth is, Mackenzie didn't know who Johnson was. Matt did, though. "I'm a Minnesota [Gophers] fan. [And] a starter for the Vikings wanted to meet our daughter?"
And the piles of presents? They decided to keep the homemade ones and "pay it forward" by giving the other presents to kids who could use a party like this.
"We're not special people," he said. "We just have three kids we love to death. Thousands of kids have the same story, are different or outcasts, don't fit in. Right now, Mackenzie's their voice. Everyone wanted to take pictures of her, talk to her. For just a day, she was the people's hero."
A different kind of hero. It was her turn. That was Johnson's point exactly.
— MarQueis Gray (@MarQueisG) April 18, 2015
And it comes down to a basic character issue, where they were able to connect with this girl and her parents, a manager at Chili's (Matt) and a customer service manager at a restaurant repair and parts store (Jenny).
But still, Mackenzie was the star of the day Saturday. According to her dad, she was diagnosed at age 1 with Sotos syndrome, which caused gigantism and also speech and learning issues. He said in some ways she acts similarly to a kid with autism, including outbursts.
"The struggles we've had with Mackenzie's special needs...I know she's been an outsider," he said. "Every kid [at school] gets a star of the week where they're the focus of the week. Well, I showed up and they're all outside at recess [when Mackenzie was star], and they're all outside playing and having fun, and my daughter's in the corner by herself.
"She has always played with her older sister's friends, but she never had someone calling her and coming to her house like kids should have. Every kid should have a circle of friends."
He said Mackenzie's birthday parties in the past have been just with family members. This time, she wanted friends. But with 10 invitations out, some people said they weren't coming and others didn't respond at all.
"My wife was crying; her heart was breaking all week long," Matt said. "Her daughter wants a birthday party, and we don't know how we're going to make it happen. So on Friday morning, [Jenny] put out this plea. It was an appeal to some moms out there, and dads, that have kids and maybe have some time to play with her."
The appeal included, "She is incredibly loving and wants more than anything to have friends." And, "You don't have to bring gifts or stay long." And, "Thank you all for reading a mother's wish!"
"From there," Matt said, "it just blew up."
Courtesy of Jenny Moretter
It took off, thanks to social media. It got to Johnson's wife, Kalyn, who replied that she and her kids were coming, and so was her husband, the Minnesota Vikings player. It got to Gray's wife, Alley, too.
"My wife was on Facebook and I was lying in bed watching TV," Gray said. "She comes running into the room. 'I just found something on Facebook.'"
He said he felt awful that "a 10-year-old girl doesn't have friends to come to a birthday party."
She ended up having plenty.
"When we first got there, we couldn't even find her," Gray said. "There were so many kids, we had to fight our way through the crowd. When we found Mackenzie, we got a quick little picture with her, and I told her she was doing a great job and hugged her. She was smiling everywhere."
Gray said he was shocked to run into Johnson there.
In the end, Matt estimated that 300 to 400 people showed up. A local photographer donated her time. A local DJ showed up for free. A restaurant brought over an enormous cake. A sandwich shop provided sandwiches. The fire department brought by a truck for the kids to climb on.
And a bunch of dads hung around a couple of NFL players. Truth is, Mackenzie didn't know who Johnson was. Matt did, though. "I'm a Minnesota [Gophers] fan. [And] a starter for the Vikings wanted to meet our daughter?"
And the piles of presents? They decided to keep the homemade ones and "pay it forward" by giving the other presents to kids who could use a party like this.
"We're not special people," he said. "We just have three kids we love to death. Thousands of kids have the same story, are different or outcasts, don't fit in. Right now, Mackenzie's their voice. Everyone wanted to take pictures of her, talk to her. For just a day, she was the people's hero."
A different kind of hero. It was her turn. That was Johnson's point exactly.
