Drayton Florence Day of Thanksgiving Event

Carolina Panthers star and Ocala native, Drayton Florence donated 215 Thanksgiving turkeys to families from Kids Central.   They were distributed at a Day of Thanksgiving celebration at the Ed Croskey Community Center in November, hosted by the Drayton Florence Foundation.

Kids Central, Inc. is a nonprofit organization serving Citrus, Hernando, Lake, Marion and Sumter Counties. The agency develops and manages a comprehensive, community-based system of care for abused, neglected and abandoned children and their families. Kids Central is committed to promoting the welfare of expectant mothers, babies, children and young adults through prevention services, in-home care, foster care, and adoption.

Florence, cornerback for the Carolina Panthers, established his Foundation to educate, motivate and stimulate youth, empowering them for a lifetime of success. Programs include technology labs at local community centers, military outreach programs, and Thanksgiving and Christmas events for families in need.  Supporters of the Day of Thanksgiving include Publix, Vanguard class of 1999, City of Ocala and Ed Croskey Community Center.

Drayton Florence Foundation Christmas Events

For the past 10 years, the Drayton Florence Foundation has provided Christmas for children who wouldn’t otherwise be able to celebrate the holiday season with gifts.  This year, the Foundation adopted children in both Florence’s hometown of Ocala and his NFL city of Charlotte.

Twenty nine pre-selected students and their families experienced true holiday cheer in a private celebration with members of the Florence family and Foundation staff.  Each child made a keepsake Christmas ornament craft and had a special visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus.  In addition, through a partnership with WalMart in Ocala, each child was presented with a WalMart gift card to shop for themselves or their family members. The families were also provided dinner courtesy of the Foundation and Hungry Howie’s on East Silver Springs Blvd.

In partnership with Second Harvest Food Bank in Charlotte, the Foundation identified 58 children who experienced true holiday cheer in a celebration with Florence and his teammates.  The children had dinner with Florence, and through a partnership with Target, each child was presented with a Target gift card to shop for their family members.  For many of the children, the Foundation was able to give them a once in a lifetime special evening.

Second Harvest Food Bank generously donated Christmas dinner boxes for each of the children and their families.

Watch the video of Drayton’s interception and 71 yard pick 6!!!  11 years and still getting it done!!!!

Drayton Florence Pick 6 from NFL.com

Make sure to check out the this video from the Drayton Florence Foundation Make it Happen Camp weekend.  We hope everyone had a great time and can’t wait until next year. 

A special thanks to Alex Benson with Born to Compete for his amazing work on this video!!!!

Are YOU interested in being a part of the Drayton Florence 7 on 7 Marion County Stars Travel Team? Are you between the 6th and 11th grade? This is a great way to stay on top of your game after the season is over and develop your skills. Please send your information to info@draytonflorencefoundation.com or fill out the contact us section of the website with the following information: First & Last Name: School: Age: Position Played: Parent/Legal Guardian Name: Home Address: Home Phone/Cell Number: Email Address: Goals for 2013.

In March 2013, The Drayton Florence Foundation teamed up with the MLK T-ball league in Ocala, Florida to help launch a six-week program to encourage children ages 4-7 to be active and learn the fundamentals of baseball.  In Spring 2012, Drayton was informed of the need for a T-ball league in Ocala. Without hesitation Drayton agreed to help by providing the uniforms for all 53 children who participated in the launch of the league. The league provides the children with the fundamentals of baseball and gives them an opportunity to learn goal setting and personal achievement.

The league warranted community and family involvement, as 6 T-ball teams were formed under the direction of Mr. Ire Bethea, division head of recreation in Ocala.  Mr. Bethea shared that the league has proven to be a “beautiful, familly oriented affair”.  The installation of the league has encouraged racial and cultural boundaries to be diminished in the city of Ocala.  Bethea cite’s Drayton’s willingness to, “come back, give where he started and being a great role model for the kids” as the link needed to launch the league.

Bethea plans to start the program up again in Fall 2013.  His hope is that this league will continue to bring the community of Ocala together, and give children a positive outlet through the sport of baseball, which thrills Florence.

“I started my dreams of being a pro athlete at that field by watching my older cousins play baseball. I will do anything to give those kids an opportunity to play all sports”, said Florence.

As the MLK T-ball league prepares to continue to offer this opportunity to those within the community in Ocala, the hope is to keep the momentum going for a long time to come.