Creating Meals and Memories

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – At one end of the Carol Soffer Indoor Practice Facility, a group of Miami defensive backs – including Damari Brown, OJ Frederique, Jaden Harris, and Meesh Powell – presided over a high-stakes game of kid-friendly touch football.

At the other end, kicker Andy Borregales, offensive lineman Jalen Rivers and quarterback Emory Williams found themselves caught up in an intense game of Jenga with some youthful competitors who did their best to use their smaller fingers and hands as an advantage over the three college football players who towered above them.

In between, other children colored at an arts and crafts station, some chatted with members of Miami’s cheer and dance teams and parents from the Miami-Dade County Foster and Adoptive Parent Association milled about, capturing the entire scene with smiles on their faces and phones in their hands.

And set up throughout the indoor facility were tables filled with meal boxes that were packed with all the ingredients for a memorable Thanksgiving dinner, ingredients those families were able to take home once they left the fourth annual Canes Day of Giving event.

“My adopted son, he loves this. He just keeps saying, ‘Mom, this is amazing. Thank you for bringing me. This is for us?’ and I said, ‘This is for you guys. They’re giving,’” smiled Lina Fernandez. “And my two little foster girls, they’re happy. They’re ecstatic. They wanted pictures with the cheerleaders, but they were holding on [to me] because they were so nervous. … They’re from a different country and this is like heaven. It’s such a different environment. … We are so grateful.”

On Sunday afternoon, members of Miami’s football team – with help from some Hurricanes golfers, members of Miami’s spirit squads and Sebastian the Ibis – welcomed 18 special families to campus for what has become a new tradition at Miami.

Before that, though, a handful of Hurricanes visited a nearby Publix to buy much of the food the families would need, from dinner rolls to dessert, while Miami’s partner – City National Bank – donated turkeys for each of the families.

During the morning shopping trip, there were good-natured arguments over whether to send the families home with pumpkin pies or apple pies and there was plenty of back-and-forth about which kind of cheese makes for the creamiest macaroni and cheese.

At last year’s Canes Day of Giving, offensive lineman Frankie Tinilau – who hails from Australia – wasn’t quite sure what cranberry sauce and stuffing were.

On Sunday, he knew exactly where to find those Thanksgiving essentials.

“Last time I came here, I couldn’t find most of the stuff. Today, I had fun doing it. I came out here with some of the boys and we enjoyed being able to give back to those families,” Tinilau said. “Obviously, we are blessed [with] everything that we have. To be able to give back, it might seem small, but it’s big for a lot of families that need it. … It might seem small, buying these small groceries, but it can mean so much and be a big thing for those families.”

Added Jorge Baez, Miami’s Director of Player Development, “This is special because the opportunity we have here at Miami, we’re blessed that we have enough to give back, that we have enough great partnerships and people that want to be involved in the community to help us give back to these kids that come from so many different situations in life. And I like that [the student-athletes] get to put a touch of themselves with the meals and the shopping. Everyone has a little flavor they use from home, so it’s fun to see them put their sense, their flavor into it.”

Those touches – and the conversations the children are able to have with the Hurricanes – are what Shamele Jenkins, the executive director of the Miami-Dade County Foster and Adoptive Parent Association, said makes the Canes Day of Giving so special.

“I always say it’s a mirror image. … I’m sure some of them might share some similar backgrounds. Almost everybody knows what it is to not have and to have. But this is all about the spirit of giving,” Jenkins said. “From the moment [the families] walk in, they go, ‘Oh, my … Look how big this place is. … Those are some really big guys.’ So, I tell [the children] to eat their Wheaties. But look at them. They’re just smiling up a storm. I love it.”

Sunday’s event was just the latest community outreach event for the Hurricanes, who have made their presence felt everywhere from children’s summer camp events, to local hospitals, to even the Miami-Dade Animal Shelter.

Even last week, wide receiver Xavier Restrepo and quarterback Cam Ward joined with fellow student-athletes from across Miami’s athletic department to participate in a Dream on 3 event, which helps create sports-themed memories for children and young people with life-altering conditions.

All of that, the Hurricanes say, is part of what helps makes their time at Miami so special.

“It means a lot to us because although we do have hectic schedules and we do a lot of things throughout the year, we love to get our feet on the ground, feet on the pavement, and make a difference in our community,” said Miami running back Terrell Walden II. “That’s one thing I can say we all love to do.”

Added Jessica Hurley, Miami’s Associate Director of Student-Athlete Development, and the organizer of the annual Canes Day of Giving, “I think the coolest part is that this has become a regular event for us, and everybody expected it. They kept saying, ‘We’re doing the Thanksgiving event, right?’ … It has become such a staple, and every year is so special. … That’s what this time of year is all about.”