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Via the Orlando Magic:

The NBA has named Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard as the recipient of the NBA Cares Community Assist Award for October in recognition of his outstanding efforts in the community and for his ongoing philanthropic and charitable work.

 

Howard is being honored in part for his commitment to helping create a state-of-the-art game room designed especially for teenagers at the Florida Hospital for Children in Orlando. Having made numerous visits to the hospital in past years, Howard recently decided that he wanted to make a larger, lasting impact.  As part of his new "Dwight Howard’s Big Change for Kids" program, Howard provided an initial $30,000 to fund the new room, which will feature the latest in videogame technology, movies, board games, and education resources to provide young patients undergoing difficult medical treatment with a place to relax and have fun.  He plans to continually support the project through fundraising efforts at local businesses, schools, and places of worship. [...]

 

This award marks Howard’s third NBA Cares Community Assist Award.  Following his first award in July 2007, Howard earned his second in January 2009 in part for his support of the Parramore Kidz Zone Teen Shack at Orlando’s Downtown Recreation Complex.  Howard continues to support a number of other charitable efforts focused on local youth, including the Blessings in a Backpack program, a national nonprofit initiative that tipped off in October 2008 and supports low-income children and their families.  Through the program, Howard helps provide students at Orlando’s Lake Como Elementary School with six take-home meals each weekend in an effort to ensure that they receive the nutrition they need to help them learn and grow.