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Harford Co. Kids meet Michael Phelps, Shaq Mary Paramore
Twenty kids from Harford County’s Boys and Girls Clubs were treated to swim time with Olympic swimming sensation Michael Phelps Saturday Aug. 22 at the Meadowvale Swim Club. What they didn’t know when they made the trip to Baltimore was that they would swim with NBA star Shaquille O’Neil, too. Phelps swam against O’Neil at Loyola University Maryland’s Mangione Aquatic Center the next day for O’Neil’s new ABC-TV show Shaq. Vs. Phelps grew up participating in club activities and selected the clubs as his charity of choice to be highlighted during the show. Randy Acosta, executive director for the Harford County Boys and Girls Clubs, said he surprised O’Neil with a poster from the national Boys and Girls Clubs office, asking him, “Shaq, do you know this kid?” The poster showed O’Neil as a child, with the tagline “Be an MVP.” O’Neil, like Phelps, grew up participating in Boys and Girls Clubs activities. O’Neil signed the poster, which will be enclosed in a shadow box and displayed in the club. Acosta said 15 youths from Harford County and five youths from Carroll County, which Harford County’s organization operates, were chosen for the special one-on-one time with Phelps and O’Neil. “We selected kids who demonstrated great behavior and who show strong leadership in their club units,” he said. The Harford County clubs were hand-picked by Phelps because he is an honorary board member for the local organization as well as a national spokesperson. The Shaq Vs.. episode with Phelps, to air Sept. 15, will include footage from the Saturday swim. To learn how your business can help support Harford County’s Boys and Girls Clubs, call 410-272-0010 or visit www.bgcharfordco.org.
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