Shaq and his wife coordinating massive Katrina relief effort
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Posted 9:17PM on Tuesday, September 6, 2005
MIAMI (AP) Shaquille O'Neal and his wife Shaunie are coordinating a major relief effort designed to help some of the victims of Hurricane Katrina.<br>
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Through Saturday, the O'Neal family will have collection boxes set up at eight El Dorado furniture stores in South Florida, and are asking the public to donate toiletries and other personal health items that will be transported to Baton Rouge, La. in the coming days.<br>
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O'Neal, the Miami Heat's 12-time All-Star center, played his college basketball in Baton Rouge at LSU. He canceled his annual charity golf tournament there earlier this month, and spent several days in Louisiana viewing the damage and attempting to assist with relief efforts.<br>
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``The O'Neal family joins the rest of the nation in their concern and support for the survivors of Hurricane Katrina and prays that everyone will do their part to help relieve the burden of these victims,'' the couple said in a statement released by the Heat on Tuesday.<br>
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Heat officials say they will soon finalize their organizational plan to help Katrina's victims.<br>
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(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)