The following is a heartwarming story written up by mentor DJ after an outing with mentee Quentin to see the Globetrotters. Quentin and DJ are matched through Mentoring Affects Youth (M.A.Y.) in Shenandoah.
"Yesterday I had the joy of taking Quentin to see The Harlem Globetrotters in Omaha at Century-Link Center. Quentin has never seen them and prior to this didn't know a whole lot about them. I purchased what I believed would be very good seats for his first time.
We arrived at the arena and I could tell he was immediately taken back by the size of the facility. In normal Q style he posed with one of the statues out front of the arena.
We got inside the arena and before we even sat in our seats, bought a single souvenir or snack we walked around and all he could do was grin. He said "I've got this tingly feeling in my stomach because I'm so happy."
We found where the memorabilia was being sold (on the floor next to the court) and we made our way down. A boy has to have proper memorabilia to remember the first time he saw The Harlem Globetrotters!
Q decided he would like some cotton candy so our next stop was the concession stand. Now loaded with merchandise, drinks, popcorn and cotton candy we searched for our seats. We found section 120 and asked the attendant where we could find 120C. She had no idea what C meant but I was certainly in the right spot! Section 120 was right above us, row BB seats 19 and 20. We walked up a short flight of stairs and there we were seated. Not bad seats but not as good as I had hope or even thought I purchased. We had a rail somewhat blocking our view but Q didn't let that discourage him. He made sure to once again let me know he was feeling happy. He thanked me on several occasions. I honestly got a little overwhelmed just by being there with him and feeling his energy and excitement. (Not an easy task when you have 1000 kids with basketballs bouncing them wildly everywhere haha)
I admit I was a bit disappointed in our seats but was still bound and determined to have a great time.
A few moments later the attendant showed back up with two other spectators and asked us for our tickets. Couldn't help but wonder why! She just saw them 2 minutes ago AND she sat us there. Well apparently we were in someone else's seats. Not good. The attendant directed us down to see yet another attendant. That attendant passed us off to yet a third attendant who happened to know the seating chart for the game. We were then escorted to our actual seats "Courtside Center Court!" The look on Q's face was priceless!!
Ok I was a little excited too!
The game started and from the very beginning it seemed as if we were part the action. Q just watched in amazement as the team made dunk after dunk, half court shots and passed the ball faster than your eyes could watch. He laughed, we laughed so hard.
Little did I know that I may have wanted to stay seated in my original location because my involvement in the game became well... embarrassing!
I was pulled onto the court initially because the star of the show "Big Easy" was seeking a female to dance with. He turned, saw me and proclaimed I was the ugliest woman he had ever seen! I was escorted back to my seat. They then grabbed a lovely lady seated next to me and drug her to the court and made her dance. I was so relieved that wasn't me! She returned to her seat laughing hysterically. One of the teammates informed Big Easy I was VERY upset and jealous for dancing with her. Big Easy told them to get me back to the court. YIKES!
Big Easy stated he knew I was jealous and was gonna make it right!
The lights went dim, Big Easy told everyone to light up the room with their cell phones, spot light came down and Big Easy began to sing Adele's "Hello." If that wasn't enough to embarrass me to death, he began to romance me, stroke my hair, dance with me and yes... pick me up and swirl me around. Q had managed to catch the majority of it on video.
Best part of the video is Q screaming "That's DJ!"
I came back to my seat and Q said he wanted to get on the court. I could only hope. After moments of being drenched with a bucket of water, harassed by the opposing team coach and just all around fully engaged in the show, his moment came! He was so excited to make it to the court and perform Y.M.C.A.
The boy was having the time of his life and all I could do was laugh and smile. We finished off the event with a couple well earned autographs. I was even able to give him the game used wrist band from my new found love Big Easy.
On the drive home he continued to share his gratitude. We talked about how far he has come since we first met. In November he would have had a difficult time being away from Grandma for such a long period. We talked about how his relationship with his Mother has improved.
He had a difficult day prior to the game when his Mother had a meltdown and was unavailable to him mentally and emotionally. They had hoped to go do fun things that day but wound up doing nothing. The day was a huge let down and just another example of how he faces disappointment when all he wants is the love of his Mother. Quentin still manages to find strength and courage and with the help of Grandma and God he copes extremely well.
Mentoring Quentin has brought me so much more than I could ever write an a single email. Quentin himself is a blessing and a gift. He rewards me with his kind heart and good nature. His potential is limitless.
However at the moment in the car when he turned to me and began to sing Adele's "Hello" I did threaten to throw him out of the car without slowing down."
To see the videos mentioned in the story, please visit DJ's YouTube channel.