WE DID IT! 2,000 kids are going to Bright Side Night, Suns vs. Pacers on January 14

I love you all.

We did it!

We donated 2,000 tickets for underprivileged kids to experience their first NBA game on Bright Side Night as the Phoenix Suns host the Indiana Pacers on January 14, 2018 at 6:00 PM.

I cannot express how grateful I am for you. All of you.

YOU stepped up.

We did not get any large donations from Suns players or coaches this year (last year we got 100-ticket donations from Jared Dudley, Earl Watson and the Suns themselves).

But I didn’t want those. That wasn’t the point.

The point was giving me and you the chance to give of ourselves - $9 at a time - to give back to the Phoenix community and direct some great memories to otherwise struggling kids to experience the joy of an NBA game. The smells. The atmosphere. It’s all there for these kids.

In 2015, we raised 800 tickets. In 2016, with the help of Suns folks, it was 1,200.

This year, it’s 2,000!

And all of it thanks to YOU, dear readers and supporters.

Thank you so much for sharing this effort with your friends and families.

Thank you to the Pacers bloggers and readers for adding 110+ tickets to the tally!!

Thank you to my local media friends for donating their own hard-earned money and sharing this cause with their readers.

What’s in store for the kids

• Early access to the court to watch the players warm up
• A personal visit from Dragan Bender, whose reps reached out to us after he saw this cause go across his twitter timeline
• Access to the visitors high-five tunnel before the game and at halftime
• Incredible time watching probable All-Stars Devin Booker and Victor Oladipo face off against each other
• Post-game court access to shoot around on the Suns actual court
• Cutting down the net after the game
• Special ‘Bright Side Night’ T-shirt toss spearheaded by the Gorilla himself
• PA Announcement mid-game to welcome these wonderful kids

What’s in store for the bigger donors who can attend the game itself

• Invitation to a pregame meet-and-greet at 4pm at an establishment near the arena, hopefully hosted by Justin and Paul, who run the ‘For the Fans, By the Fans’ weekly podcast
• Invitation to meet at 5pm and ask questions of Suns VP and former SSOL teammate James Jones before the game
• Your own seats to the 6pm game and a gift bag that includes a special Bright Side Night T-shirt
• Invitation to the post-game shoot around on the Suns court where you can meet the kids, Bright Siders and other donors.

*Please be patient as Suns rep Stepheny is trying to reach all the larger donators. She’s been overwhelmed!

Thank you!

You’ve made my year.

Oh, and we don’t need to stop now. The Suns say any continuing donations will get added to our tally for the January 14 game!

Donate here: suns.com/brightside