“When I signed with the Chicago Bulls, I didn’t know why I did it. I was in Miami for 13 years. I didn’t know what made me say I want to go to the Bulls. When I did it, I was excited to be here, but now, I’m starting to understand even more why I did it. I’m starting to understand more my purpose of being here.” That is a quote from Dwayne Wade, as he and Nickelodeon teamed together for Wade’s World Worldwide Day of play in Chicago. This summer, point guard Dwayne Wade made headlines when he left his tenure with the Miami Heat to come play for his hometown team, the Chicago Bulls.
As gates opened, the families of Chicago’s south side were able to engage in free food, free rides, and free t-shirts. Nickelodeon used an abandoned lot to transform and create a play land that had everything from jump houses to slides, Ninja Turtles and, of course, the beloved slime machine.
D-Wade joined in on the slime-filled day of play by presenting and giving tours of the Willie Mae Morris Empowerment Center (WMMEC) which is named after his 97 year old grandmother. “I live by the code, and we all live by the code that was taught to us by my grandmother, ‘To whom much is given, much is required’,” Wade said.
Both, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Senator Dick Durban were present to speak on the violence that has made Chicago infamous throughout our media outlets and how events like this were just the right thing to bring hope and love back to the community.
Before the event was over, Nickelodeon presented D-Wade and the Wade’s World Foundation with a $10,000 donation to go towards improvement in the city and the new WMMEC that will serve as a safe haven for the children of the community.
By the end of the day surely Dwyane felt in his heart that there was a reason he signed with the Chicago Bulls. We can see why.