Oakland

6-year-old and mother hosted by Golden State Warriors owner at Warriors game

Published

8 years ago

March 31, 2017

Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob hosted Snellville, Georgia, natives Isaiah Simpson and his mother, Alexandra McDonald, at a Warrior game in Oakland. Mother and son sat in floor seats next to Lacob.

Isaiah, who is six years old, had been begging to watch Curry play since his birthday last summer. His mother told him to work harder in school and improve his reading and writing. He had to keep his room clean, clear his plate from the table “and be a good boy.”

McDonald and her son were left heartbroken at Philips Arena in Atlanta when they were denied access to the Warriors’ game against the Hawks earlier this month because they had purchased counterfeit tickets from a third-party vendor.

When the Warriors organization learned of this, they flew mother and son from Atlanta to San Francisco for Sunday’s game.
At the Oracle Arena Isaiah and his mother were ushered onto the court. He had his hair shaved with a “30” on one side and the Bay Bridge on the other.

One minute Isaiah was watching Warriors guard Stephen Curry swish one basket after the other. The next minute, the basketball great was at Isaiah’s side, his hands on the boy’s shoulders.

Curry asked Isaiah to throw him the ball a few times. One toss went wild.

“It’s OK,” Curry told the boy. “One more try?”
To Isaiah, Curry wasn’t a speck anymore. And neither the boy nor his mother were disappointed. This time, Curry was up close and real.

“It was a pleasure to host Isaiah and his mother, Alexa, at the Warriors game on Sunday,” said Warriors owner Joe Jacob

“We’re so glad we could provide Isaiah with a memorable experience, including meeting the team in the locker room after the game, especially after everything he went through in Atlanta. It’s disappointing to us whenever any of our fans are denied access to games due to fraudulent tickets, and it’s our hope that we can help raise awareness about this and do our part to try and prevent it going forward.”

The Warriors held Stop Fraud Night at Sunday night’s game at Oracle Arena which highlighted the Warriors organization’s continuing efforts to warn fans about the potential dangers of purchasing fraudulent single-game tickets from a non-verified third party.

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Activism

OCCUR Hosts “Faith Forward” Conference in Oakland

The conference featured Congresswoman-elect Lateefah Simon, who will begin her term representing California’s 12th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives in January.
Simon was honored with a special recognition from OCCUR for her civic and nonprofit leadership.

Published

3 days ago

November 24, 2024

Oakland Post

President and CEO of OCCUR addresses the audience at OCCUR Faith Forward 2024 Conference at Resurrection Church. Photo by Carla Thomas.

By Carla Thomas

The Oakland Citizens Committee for Urban Renewal (OCCUR) hosted its Faith Forward 2024 Conference on Nov. 8 at Resurrection Church in Oakland.

The conference featured Congresswoman-elect Lateefah Simon, who will begin her term representing California’s 12^th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives in January.

Simon was honored with a special recognition from OCCUR for her civic and nonprofit leadership. During her remarks, She commended nonprofits making a difference, and shared how she looked forward to representing Oakland and surrounding areas.

Simon also encouraged attendees to continue fighting despite their concerns about the presidential election results. She also cautioned that there may be resources that are discontinued as a result.

“We know the assignment. We have many of the resources right within our own community, and we will be ok,” Simon assured the audience.

The conference led by OCCUR president, Dr. David B. Franklin, also featured panels on funding opportunities, case studies, economic development, sustainable housing solutions, and organizing for action.

“In order for organizations serving the community to thrive, everyone must collaborate, share resources, and not operate in silos,” said Franklin.

Speakers included San Francisco Foundation CEO, Fred Blackwell, San Francisco Foundation FAITHS Program Director Dr. Michelle Chambers, and Kingmakers of Oakland Founder, Chris Chatmon. Guests were briefed on how Kingmakers of Oakland has gone from a budget of zero to several million and is set to acquire 200 acres of property to expand their programs serving young boys. The leadership at the San Francisco Foundation encouraged nonprofits, churches, and community leaders to work together, especially when donations and funding numbers are lower.

Ben Bartlett of Berkeley City Council; Trevor Parham, CEO of Oakstop; and CEO of the Lao Family Community Development, Inc., Kathy Chao Rothberg, inspired attendees with stories about their journeys in the nonprofit sector.

Additional speakers included Deka Dike, CEO of Omatachi; Landis Green, CEO of DGS Strategies; Sasha Werblin, Director of Economic Development, LISC Bay Area; Oakland City Councilmember Treva Reid; Faith and Justice Organizer of East Bay Housing Organizations, Ronnie Boyd; and Todd Bendon, Executive Director of Faith in Action East Bay; among others.

The event allowed community leaders, faith-based leaders, and nonprofits to gain Insight on how to strengthen their profits financially, and communally.

OCCUR has served the community for over 70 years supporting the wellbeing of historically marginalized communities with collaborative strategies. For more information visit occurnow.org