Suns’ Booker delivers surprise and a big check

PHOENIX- Timothy Bolen, Arizona director of the nonprofit Best Buddies, was only expecting a visit from a representative of Phoenix Suns Charities, hoping that Best Buddies might qualify for a grant.

Instead, Bolen got the surprise of a lifetime when Suns guard Devin Booker and the Suns Gorilla showed up with a check for $10,000 from Suns Charities to Best Buddies, an organization dedicated to supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Greg Devorce, a participant in the Best Buddies program, was more than surprised. He was thrilled but a little skeptical when Booker and the Gorilla entered the room. He even asked Booker, “Are you the real Devin Booker?”

He was.

And Devorce was not the only one blown away from all the excitement. Booker described the experience as “unbelievable.”

“It never gets old to me,” Booker said. “When they tell us it’s time to go to an appearance, I always get excited because I picture the faces that I saw in my last appearance. You know, the smiles you put on people’s faces.

“And you don’t realize that you’re that much of a role model until you go to appearances like this.”

Bolen has big plans for the money.

“Expansion is always our key,” he said. “So, for this actually bringing in $10,000 today could actually expand us into two new schools. And two new schools can typically impact anywhere from 200-250 youth in our community, which is absolutely huge.”

According to the Best Buddies website, the nonprofit organization is “dedicated to establishing a global volunteer movement that creates opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment and leadership development for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.”

Devorce said Best Buddies is an “organization built on friendship and acceptance.”

The presentation was a part of the Phoenix Suns Week of Service. During Suns Week of Service, which is now in its third year members of the Suns organization give back to communities across the Valley.

Suns President Jason Rowley said the surprise from Booker and the Gorilla were an added twist this year.

“Every year we give away about $1 million dollars in grants,” Rowley said. “And traditionally what we have done is had the recipients come down to the arena one day during the year, pick up their check, take some pictures. It’s a nice event.

“But this year we really decided to do something a little bit different. We wanted to go out to the charities that we benefit, get our employees out to get to know people and hand deliver the checks.“