Harlem Globetrotters Deliver Tidings of Comfort and Joy to Cleveland Community Through Great Assist Initiative

T’was the week before Christmas, and all through The Land, a Harlem Globetrotter came to town, lending a hand! In advance of their annual holiday performance in Cleveland, and as a part of their nationwide Great Assist initiative, the Ambassadors of Goodwill spent a day in the community enriching lives, encouraging kindness and promoting the act of paying it forward. 

During a two-day advance visit to Cleveland, “Sweet J” Ekworomadu of the Harlem Globetrotters impacted the lives of hundreds with various Great Assists, including:

• Presenting 6-year-old CJ DeJohn with an official Harlem Globetrotters jersey, basketball and VIP tickets to the show as part of his #CJsavesCLE adventure on Thursday
• Donating a laundry basket filled with toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap, towels and razors, as well as 150 holiday gift bags for Cleveland’s City Mission 
• Globetrotters tickets for 100+ lucky Cleveland Cavaliers fans at Thursday night’s Cavs game 
• A catered lunch for the 75 recruiting officers of the Northern Ohio USO, courtesy of Chick-fil-A
• Surprise delivery of custom branded hats for 75 Downtown Cleveland Alliance Ambassadors, courtesy of New Era
• A surprise pizza delivery for the 150 police officers at Cleveland’s Third District Police Station, courtesy of Georgio’s
• A delivery of bagels, pastries and cof fee for 80 nurses at Cleveland Clinic’s main campus, courtesy of Panera Bread
• A donation of cleaning supplies, toys and treats for  Cleveland’s Animal Protective League
• Serving dinner to approximately 150 guests of The Saint Herman’s House, and delivering a Globetrotters cake for dessert, courtesy of Giant Eagle!
• Distributing breakfast vouchers for the 100 volunteers at the Greater Cleveland Food Bank, courtesy of Denny’s 
• Surprising one lucky Cleveland family with tickets to see the Globetrotters as part of 95.5 The FISH’s annual holiday campaign
• …and passing out more than 250 candy canes to strangers along the way!

“As the Ambassadors of Goodwill, it was great to travel all over Cleveland to meet hundreds of new friends and make their day a little brighter,” said Ekworomadu. “As part of our Great Assist program, we’re pledging to spread 100 million smiles around the world over the next decade with these types of acts of kindness.”

A holiday tradition in Cleveland, fans can catch the Harlem Globetrotters when they return to Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse with their 90th Anniversary World Tour on Monday, December 28th for two performances at 1:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. Tickets start at $20 and are now available at harlemglobetrotters.com, the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse box office, or by phone at 888-894-9424. Information on group and scout tickets can also be found at harlemglobetrotters.com.