Rasheed Wallace: Remembering His Past
 Rasheed Wallace is one of the most active NBA players in the local community. In the past few years he has reached out to every city he has known as home. Originally from Philadelphia, he has never forgotten his roots, growing up in the inner cities where opportunities to succeed and move into society's comfort zone were not always plentiful.
While at the University of North Carolina, Rasheed was always conscious of the underprivileged youth in the area and made numerous visits to a local community center designed to help kids out with their schoolwork. Over the course of two years, he volunteered many hours aiding teenagers in several different academic subjects.
Now in Portland, Rasheed has made another effort to get involved locally. His most recent project, "Sheed's Squad," will give thousands of youth in the area an opportunity to see their hero in action.
Rasheed purchased 50 lower-level season tickets that are distributed each game through various local community organizations to underprivileged youth throughout the Portland metropolitan area. The kids sit in a section called "Sheed's Squad," located behind the basket below the luxury suites. Each youngster receives an autographed picture of Rasheed before the game!
The idea is for underprivileged youth in the community to have a chance to come out and enjoy the action of an NBA basketball game. In most cases, the price of a ticket is too expensive for the kids to buy.
 With Sheed's Squad, tickets are in the lower bowl of the Rose Garden arena -- great seats for the kids to see their hero in action!
Said Wallace about the program: "The Portland community has welcomed me with open arms, and this is my opportunity to give something back. This program will give kids that normally might not have an opportunity to see me and the rest of the team play, the ability to do so--up close and personally!"
THE RASHEED A. WALLACE FOUNDATION
Founded in early 1997, the Rasheed A. Wallace Foundation was established to contribute to the needs of the less fortunate in the Philadelphia area.
Rasheed's focus on youth and giving back to the city where his talents were developed is strong and his interest in doing so is evident in the creation of his Philadelphia-based foundation. "It's nice to be able to go back to your hometown after you have made it, and give back to the needy," said Wallace.
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