Shaq-A-Claus to deck the halls of the Boys & Girls Club of Henry County

NBA Hall of Famer and Boys & Girls Club Alumnus hosts first holiday party at new space  

ATLANTA, Dec. 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- 'Tis the season for hundreds of children from kindergarten to 12th grade in the Atlanta area to receive a very merry visit from Shaq-A-Claus at the Shaquille O'Neal Boys & Girls Club of Henry County on Wednesday, Dec. 14, at 3:30 p.m.

Through the Shaquille O'Neal Foundation, the basketball legend continues his 21-year tradition of brightening the holidays by providing thousands of toys, clothing, meals, and more to underprivileged youth across the country. The Big Man is throwing six of these parties over the month in Atlanta, Las Vegas, New Jersey and Orlando.

This will be the inaugural Shaq-A-Claus event hosted at the Shaquille O'Neal Boys & Girls Club, which opened in August 2021. The facility, housed in the former Henry County Middle School, underwent a $1.1 million renovation before opening its doors to local youth.

"The kids can play in a great new space from an organization that I'm extremely proud to be associated with," O'Neal said. "And they will go home with big smiles and an armful of gifts thanks to my incredibly generous sponsors who understand what makes kids feel happy, successful and supported."

This year, Shaq-A-Claus will check the following items off holiday wish lists, courtesy of business partners:

• Fresh haircuts by Great Clips
• $100.00 Walmart gift cards for all 5^th grade students and their families, donated by Pepsi Stronger Together
• Meal programs from Food for Good by PepsiCo
• Tonka Toys and Trucks
• Alkaline88 refreshments
• Hobbytron drones by World Tech Toys
• Dixon Ticonderoga school supplies
• Backpacks donated by the Kids In Need Foundation
• Nautica and IZOD socks
• A selection of snacks courtesy of Frito-Lay

The festivities also will include carnival games and prizes, a live DJ and hot pizzas served by Papa John's. Shaq-A-Claus will appear at 3:30 p.m. at the Shaquille O'Neal Boys & Girls Club of Henry County, 166 Holly Smith Dr. McDonough, GA 30253.

About The Shaquille O'Neal Foundation

The Shaquille O'Neal Foundation creates pathways for underserved youth, helping them achieve their full potential. Established in 2019 by the NBA Hall of Famer, television sports analyst and entrepreneur Shaquille O'Neal, the Foundation works to instill hope and bring about change in communities, collectively shaping a brighter future for our children. While primarily partnered with Boys & Girls Clubs and Communities in Schools in Atlanta and Las Vegas, the Foundation will simultaneously support Shaquille's other charitable endeavors, such as his annual Shaq-a-Claus holiday event and initiatives alongside his corporate partners. For more information, visit shaqfoundation.org.

About The Alkaline Water Company

The Alkaline Water Company is the Clean Beverage^® company making a difference in the water you drink and the world we share. Founded in 2012, The Alkaline Water Company (NASDAQ and CSE: WTER) is headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona. Its flagship product, Alkaline88^®, is a leading premier alkaline water brand available in bulk and single-serve sizes along with eco-friendly aluminum packaging options. With its innovative, state-of-the-art proprietary electrolysis process, Alkaline88^® delivers perfect 8.8 pH balanced alkaline drinking water with trace minerals and electrolytes and boasts our trademarked label "Clean Beverage." To learn more about The Alkaline Water Company, please visit www.thealkalinewaterco.com or connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or LinkedIn.

About Dixon Ticonderoga

At Dixon Ticonderoga Company, we enable students, thinkers and artists to transform their vision into reality. We do this because we believe creativity can change the world. This is why we produce the world's best pencil, the finest art papers, premium art supplies, craft essentials and more…to give everyone the tools and confidence to put pencil to paper, make that first brush stroke or share their ideas. Dixon Ticonderoga Company. The Catalyst of Creativity.

About Food for Good

Food for Good (FFG) is PepsiCo's global commitment to advance food security through collaboration in communities where we live and work as part of the pep+ journey. In the United States, FFG is focused on providing nutritious meals to children, using PepsiCo's expertise in taste, nutrition, and distribution to reach underserved kids and families. FFG offers a wide range of meal solutions to ensure children have access to nutritious meals no matter where they are or the time of the year. For more information, visit www.pepsicofoodforgood.com.

About Great Clips, Inc.

Great Clips, Inc. was established in 1982 in Minneapolis. Today, Great Clips has over 4,400 salons throughout the United States and Canada, making it the world's largest salon brand. Great Clips is 100 percent franchised, and salons are owned locally by more than 1,100 franchisees across the U.S. and Canada. Great Clips franchisees employ nearly 30,000 stylists. Great Clips salons provide value-priced, high-quality haircare for men, women and children. Getting a great haircut at Great Clips is more convenient than ever with Online Check-In, ReadyNext^® text alerts and Clip Notes^®. To check in online, visit GreatClips.com or download the free app. For more information about Great Clips, Inc. or to find a location near you, visit GreatClips.com.

About Izod

Established in 1938, Izod is credited for bringing golf-inspired style to mainstream audiences with its iconic short-sleeve piqué shirt. Today, the brand continues to introduce seasonal offerings from bold and comfortable sportswear, footwear and accessories to high-performance golf wear for men.

About Kids In Need Foundation

Kids In Need Foundation (KINF) believes every child in America deserves equal opportunity and access to a quality education. KINF partners with teachers in underserved schools to ensure students are prepared to learn in the classroom, providing essential school supplies and other much-needed resources. KINF is the only national nonprofit that strategically mobilizes its efforts on the country's most under-resourced schools, focusing on those with a student enrollment of 70 percent or more receiving free and reduced meals through the National School Lunch Program. Through its programs and National Network of Resource Centers, comprised of more than 40 mission-driven organizations across the U.S., KINF in 2021 supported over 7.8 million students and 316,900 teachers in 13,808 under-resourced schools. More than $162 million in free supplies and classroom resources was distributed nationwide at no cost to schools or teachers. For more information, visit KINF.org, and join us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter: @KidsInNeed.

About Nautica

Nautica is a leading global lifestyle brand for men, women and children, with categories in home bedding and accessories. Founded in 1983, it has become one of the most recognized classic American sportswear brands with locations in more than 65 countries. The brand draws from the essence of the water and the currents of the world through iconic yet modern and innovative styles.

About Papa Johns

Papa John's International, Inc. (NASDAQ: PZZA) ("Papa Johns") opened its doors in 1984 with one goal in mind: BETTER INGREDIENTS. BETTER PIZZA. Papa Johns believes that using high quality ingredients leads to superior quality pizzas. Its original dough is made of only six ingredients and is fresh, never-frozen. Papa Johns tops its pizzas with real cheese made from mozzarella, pizza sauce made with vine-ripened tomatoes that go from vine to can in the same day and meat free of fillers. It was the first national pizza delivery chain to announce the removal of artificial flavors and synthetic colors from its entire food menu. Papa Johns is co-headquartered in Atlanta, Ga. and Louisville, Ky. and is the world's third-largest pizza delivery company with more than 5,500 restaurants in 49 countries and territories as of June 26, 2022. For more information about the Company or to order pizza online, visit www.PapaJohns.com or download the Papa Johns mobile app for iOS or Android.

About Pepsi Stronger Together

Pepsi Stronger Together (PST) is a national initiative to empower and engage communities around the country by providing tailored programming and resources that bring people together. It was conceived with the idea that now, more than ever, we must foster a sense of connection and belonging, starting by investing locally. Launched in May of 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic – PST engaged its network of partners in the South to shine a spotlight on essential front-line workers in a variety of industries. Since then, PST has expanded its reach and impact through a variety of partnerships and initiatives, including partnerships with NBA teams, community leaders, and environmental and charitable organizations.   

Driven by the PepsiCo positive (pep+) vision to catalyze positive change for people and the planet, Pepsi Stronger Together is continually evolving to respond to the cultural moment and meet the needs of communities across the United States. Stay up to date and learn how to engage at http://www.pepsistrongertogether.com.  Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @strongertogether.

About Tonka

Tonka was created in 1946 by a gardening supply company in Mound, Minnesota called Mound Metalcraft, which later become Tonka Toys Incorporated. The steel toy trucks became an iconic rite of passage gift for boys. At one time, Tonka was the world's largest manufacturer of trucks! Over the years, the company was purchased by Hasbro and the company, along with its licensees, have manufactured the product line since 1991.

About World Tech Toys and Hobbytron

Incorporated in 2004, World Tech Toys came into the Radio Control market strong by offering a wide variety of hobby grade helicopters and vehicles at competitive pricing.  As customers continue to request more creativity and durability in R/C Flight, World Tech Toys responds by working closely with their factory and seeking innovation in the category.

Hobbytron is among the best and biggest online kids toy stores in the United States. We offer a wide range of Marvel toys, Disney toys, Star Wars, Cars & truck and much more.

SOURCE The Shaquille O’Neal Foundation