NBA Star Fills 100s Of Bags For Homeless With Handwritten Notes Of Love.

Indiana Pacers player Myles Turner wants so much more out of life than NBA stardom. That’s because one phrase has always stuck with him: we all really matter.

Those are the words that sparked the athlete’s mission to do more with his platform, though he’s been doing his part to help those less fortunate since he was a kid. Growing up in a suburb between Dallas and Fort Worth, Turner saw firsthand how many people, including young children, live homeless.

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“I said, ‘Mom, why aren’t they at their house? Why are they outside?'” Turner recalled. “She said, ‘Those are the less fortunate. They can’t afford to live in a warm house like we do.’ That was a big impactful moment for me. I obviously never want that for myself, but I never want to see anyone else in that predicament.”

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So from a young age, Turner and his family made a pact to help homeless people together, keeping extra supplies in their car including blankets, clothes, and food. Turner specifically remembers giving his own jacket away at 13 years old to a very appreciative young man. The memory has followed him to his NBA days, when he realized he could make an even bigger impact.

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In 2015, Turner and his mom decided to turn their pact into a year-round, city-wide initiative called “W.A.R.M.” which stands for “We All Really Matter.” They started by handing out care packages and free lunches around downtown Indianapolis…

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…and got the community, including Pacers fans, involved as well in W.A.R.M events. Thanks to their mission, hundreds of bags are packed and distributed in Indianapolis each year.

Each bag includes necessities such as bottled water, juice packs, fruit cups, cereal bars and other snacks, cough drops, aspirin, Kleenex, toothbrushes, toothpaste, lotion, lip balm, socks, gloves, hand warmers, and thermal blankets. But they also include sweet, handwritten notes of encouragement.

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“We were hand-writing the notes ourselves,” Mary said. “But fans, when they saw what we were doing, started sending us notes to put in the bags.”

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On top of all that, Turner also hosts movie screenings for kids in the city, some of whom have never before been able to afford to go.

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During one recent screening of “Spider-Man: Far From Home” in June, Turner handed out bags packed with toothbrushes and toothpaste, water, snacks, and blankets

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While Turner is already making an incredible difference for people in need, he hopes to make an even bigger impact that goes far beyond Indiana and Texas. “I always told myself that, if I ever made it, I would do something with this one day, on a bigger platform,” he said. “It’s something I’m trying to expand in my home state and hopefully across the nation.”

With a drive and compassion for others as strong as his, it’s only a matter of time before W.A.R.M. becomes a nationwide program. But until then, please share this story to help spread Turner’s initiative!


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