Eagles, Sixers partner with REFORM Alliance to surprise kids
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Nearly three dozen kids who are facing the season with a parent behind bars got a chance to set aside their stress Tuesday for a short time and hang out with the Eagles. It's thanks to a partnership between the Eagles and Sixers.
On Tuesday afternoon, 35 area kids who've been negatively impacted by a probation system that has seen at least one of their parents incarcerated due to technical probation violations were given a chance to relax for a few hours.
They hung out with the 12-1 Eagles at the NovaCare Complex and had a Q&A with Sixers head coach Doc Rivers at Wells Fargo Center and then got to see the Sixers beat the Sacramento Kings, 123-103.
"We had 35 kids here who all had moms and dads that are currently in prison or have been in prison for not committing a crime," Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin said.
Tuesday's festivities were a joint venture between the REFORM Alliance, a nonprofit social justice organization, Eagles and Sixers.
"Meek is the reason we started the REFORM Alliance," Rubin said. "We got one goal. To change the broken probation/patrol system that has all of you guys having family members that have gone to prison or jail or are in prison or jail for not committing crimes."
Philadelphia rapper, super fan and "Dreams and Nightmares" rapper Meek Mill joined Rubin because this very probation system personally led to his incarceration. He said he relates to the kids he met Tuesday.
"I grew up as one of these kids and things like that," Mill said. "I couldn't even really make it to a lot of Sixers, football games and things like that. I made it to the Randall Cunningham show before. Me meeting Randall Cunningham, just that one person was giving me real motivation."
Just in case the message wasn't clear, though, Rivers used his time to spell it out.
"These people here, Meek and Michael and everybody back here are here to tell you that there's people in your corner," Rivers said. "We're going to fight for you, fight for your families to make sure that one of you may be sitting here someday giving the same speech, or one of you can be a doctor or lawyer or athlete, or whatever you want."
