Shaq Takes Tupperware to the Hoop to Raise $25,000 for Boys and Girls Club of America

Former NBA star Shaquille O'Neal partnered with Tupperware Brands, including CEO Rick Goings, in October to raise money for the Boys and Girls Club of America.

Shaq and Tupperware CEO Rick Goings raised $25,000 for the Boys and Girls Club of Newark in just two minutes.

Former NBA star Shaquille O’Neal teamed up with Tupperware Brands and its CEO Rick Goings on Oct. 3 at the Eventi Hotel in New York City and raised $25,000 for the Boys and Girls Club of America in just two minutes.

For the last 20 years, Goings has donated about $1 million per year to help keep Boys and Girls Clubs open around the country. Shaq, or Dr. O’Neal as he prefers after receiving his Ph.D. this summer, grew up in a tough neighborhood in Newark, NJ, and spent his childhood at the Boys and Girls Club of Newark where he continues to donate his time and money, including a $1 million contribution in 1999 that helped the club purchase computers.

"More than anything else, it’s a place to go for children," Shaq says about the Boys and Girls Club of America.

After Shaq schooled Goings on how to shoot a ball properly and Goings showed Shaq how to make a strawberry smoothie, the two faced off in a two-minute drill where each free throw and each smoothie made equaled a $1,000 donation to the Boys and Girls Club of Newark.

In total, Shaq made seven smoothies, while Goings drained 18 free throws—it appears Shaq’s shooting percentage hasn’t gotten much better in retirement—which amounted to a $25,000 donation to the club. Afterward Goings shared advice he once received; “If we don’t make it, we can’t give it away.”

After the competition, the 2012 winner of the Boys and Girls Club National Youth of the Year program, 18-year-old Trei Dudley of Kansas, stepped in to chop vegetables and make spicy guacamole with Tupperware products, which Goings believes help making healthy treats easier and fun. Getting kids to have fun while creating healhty foods will help to ultimately fight childhood obesity.

Tupperware Brands is the sole national sponsor for the Boys and Girls Club National Youth of the Year, a year-round program that fosters a child’s character, personal growth, and leadership excellence. Created in 1947, the winner receives about a $50,000 scholarship and gets to visit the President of the United States. This year Dudley received a full scholarship to the University of Arkansas, plus a new car from Toyota.

Goings chose to sponsor the Boys and Girls Club because he knows it produces results in fostering a community environment for children around the country. Along with Tupperware, he believes they can also work to fight childhood obesity by providing quick and healthy ways for families to eat.