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Kelly Oubre hosts sneaker shopping spree for Camden County youth with 76ers

During a two-hour private event at the Converse Outlet in Blackwood, the teens were given gift cards and got a chance to buy sneakers, clothes and jackets — and could spend up to $500.

Sixers Kelly Oubre Jr. (center) and twelve year old Mason Hawkins of Camden compare hand sizes during the shopping spree in the Converse Store at the Gloucester Premium Outlets in Blackwood, N.J. on Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024. Thirty children were each given a $500 gift card to spend during the event that was a collaborative effort with Kelly Oubre Jr., the Philadelphia 76ers, Converse and organized in conjunction with the Boys and Girls Club of Camden County.
Sixers Kelly Oubre Jr. (center) and twelve year old Mason Hawkins of Camden compare hand sizes during the shopping spree in the Converse Store at the Gloucester Premium Outlets in Blackwood, N.J. on Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024. Thirty children were each given a $500 gift card to spend during the event that was a collaborative effort with Kelly Oubre Jr., the Philadelphia 76ers, Converse and organized in conjunction with the Boys and Girls Club of Camden County.Read moreElizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer

Around 30 kids from the Boys and Girls Club of Camden County got the shopping spree of a lifetime Friday thanks to 76ers player Kelly Oubre Jr. During a two-hour private event at the Converse Outlet in Blackwood, the teens were given gift cards and got a chance to buy sneakers, clothes and jackets — and could spend up to $500. Oubre, accompanied by his wife, Shylynn, and their children, posed for photos and gave high-fives. Some of the teens purchased items for family members.

Checking out at the register with 12 pairs of sneakers and shopping bags on both arms, Michael Redden, 11, of Camden, said: “I can’t believe this is happening.”

Oubre said he wanted to uplift and motivate the teenagers and give them confidence and a sense of belonging. The 76ers’ practice facility is on the Camden waterfront.

“This means a lot to them,” said Vanessa Arroyo, a site coordinator with the Boys and Girls Club. “It gives them a chance to get things they don’t normally get.”