Punter Marquette King wanted to give back during the holidays, so with the help of the Raiders, he selected a local family and took them shopping for Christmas gifts. He also provided tickets to Sunday's game against the Broncos.
"I wanted it to happen because I wanted to give back," said King. "I'm blessed enough to be in the situation I'm in, so I feel like just giving back is the best thing to do."
The family met King at a local retailer and spent time picking out items they might not have been able to receive otherwise. "I was able to go shopping for Christmas for my kids," said Lakeysha Fountain. "Marquette King made it possible. We were adopted and my kids have a Christmas."
The family picked out electronics, household items, clothes, and baby items for Fountain's granddaughter. "I didn't know what I should get or what I should do because I wanted to see them happy," said Fountain. "Seeing them pick out what they wanted and what I couldn't get that was enough for me."
King enjoyed seeing the reactions of the family as they shopped. "It was fun. They were excited," said King. "We all had a great time hanging around each other and getting a chance to spend time with each other."
One of Fountain's kids, Emoni, is the quarterback for the McClymonds High School football team in Oakland. He had the chance to speak with King about football. "He was giving me a lot of good advice on what I should do and how to make it where he's at right now so it was good," said Emoni.
King also put Raiders QB Terrelle Pryor on the phone to speak with Emoni.
The entire experience meant a lot to the Fountain family. "It's like winning the lotto almost because I've never had it happen to us," said Fountain. "It meant a lot to [the kids too]. I could see smiles. Even though my son is a quarterback and he tries to have that poker face, I could see his eyes just dancing and smiling. So it meant a lot to them."
King's goal of giving back and bringing joy to a family's holiday was a success. "It's important [to give back] because I feel like it's mandatory to help people. "No matter what you do, who you are, you can always help somebody out."
