Lakers' forward pays it forward
By: Damian Kelly
Issue date: 3/12/08 Section: Sports
Professional athletes take a lot of heat for the millions of dollars they make to play a game. Many people think they're overpaid, receiving salaries in one year that a working-class person doesn't earn in their entire life. Their claims gain more credibility when disgruntled players are heard demanding trades and asking for a better supporting cast.
With all the talk about player salaries and their personal shortcomings, the positive things they do are often forgotten. Fortunately, there are two sides to a story, and members of the Los Angeles Lakers stand out as positive role models of giving back to their community.
Forward Vladimir Radmanovic is a notable example, as demonstrated through his foundation to help abandoned children. Based in Seattle, Washington, The Vladimir Radmanovic Children's Foundation was created in 2005, after Radmanovic signed with the Seattle SuperSonics.
Matthew Wade, Director of the Vladimir Radmanovic Children's Foundation, said Radmanovic called him about his desire to give back to his community after experiencing many hardships as a young boy.
"Vladimir grew up in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, which was a war-torn area, and he saw a lot of devastation," Wade said. "He saw a lot of children abandoned and he wanted to do something to see children not go through the same thing as he did."
Radmanovic's foundation has gone a long way towards accomplishing that goal, having donated $110,000 to International Orthodox Christian Charities, an Orthodox Christian humanitarian organization, to provide a vocational training program for orphans in Belgrade, according to Wade. Not only does he assist orphans in his home country, but also in Los Angeles County.
Five Acres is an orphanage in Los Angeles County and Vladimir Radmanovic has made significant contributions to it, according to information posted on their Web site. Children at Five Acres are given to family relatives or they are placed with a foster family where there is a strong family connection.
With all the talk about player salaries and their personal shortcomings, the positive things they do are often forgotten. Fortunately, there are two sides to a story, and members of the Los Angeles Lakers stand out as positive role models of giving back to their community.
Forward Vladimir Radmanovic is a notable example, as demonstrated through his foundation to help abandoned children. Based in Seattle, Washington, The Vladimir Radmanovic Children's Foundation was created in 2005, after Radmanovic signed with the Seattle SuperSonics.
Matthew Wade, Director of the Vladimir Radmanovic Children's Foundation, said Radmanovic called him about his desire to give back to his community after experiencing many hardships as a young boy.
"Vladimir grew up in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, which was a war-torn area, and he saw a lot of devastation," Wade said. "He saw a lot of children abandoned and he wanted to do something to see children not go through the same thing as he did."
Radmanovic's foundation has gone a long way towards accomplishing that goal, having donated $110,000 to International Orthodox Christian Charities, an Orthodox Christian humanitarian organization, to provide a vocational training program for orphans in Belgrade, according to Wade. Not only does he assist orphans in his home country, but also in Los Angeles County.
Five Acres is an orphanage in Los Angeles County and Vladimir Radmanovic has made significant contributions to it, according to information posted on their Web site. Children at Five Acres are given to family relatives or they are placed with a foster family where there is a strong family connection.
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