WEST PALM BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - The Miami Heat held a meet and greet with families that fled the Bahamas to South Florida after suffering through Hurricane Dorian’s wrath.
The team met with 21 Bahamian families at their training camp in West Palm Beach, Friday.
Shan Terica, who was displaced after Hurricane Dorian, said the day provided a much-needed dose of relief.
“For today, you don’t even remember what happened a month ago,” she said.
During training camp, players such as Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Udonis Haslem met with the families. Miami Heat President Pat Riley also took pictures and spoke with the displaced families.
Some, like Pauline Natasha Harvey, said it is the first time they have smiled in weeks.
“To know and see hope, you know, it’s tears of joy to see that y’all open your doors to us,” Harvey said. “The kids are happy. It’s awesome.”
Families took pictures, played basketball and received gifts from the team during the day.
“For us, it’s just a couple of minutes out of our day,” Haslem said, “but for those families and for those kids, those things go a long way. It’s something they’ll always remember, and it’s something that they can look back to and get through these hard times right now.”
The victims said for the players to donate their time, they made it a day and experience they will never forget.
“We don’t even remember what happened in the storm today because of the warm, welcoming feel, how they’re greeting us, meeting us, hugging us, taking pictures with us. It’s so amazing,” Terica said.
The families also received gift bags that included Walmart gift cards, Heat merchandise and some toys for the children.
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