Three Under the Tree - 2012

Serving And Inspiring Underprivileged Communities During The Holidays

3 Under the Tree 2012 began on Friday, December 21, at the home of Welline Rose Lubin. Two weeks prior, an electrical fire destroyed the family's Hallandale Beach Apartment, leaving Ms. Lubin and her two children homeless. Dwyane and our Executive Director, Tragil Wade, surprised the family with Christmas gifts and home makeover, including furniture and appliances, for their new Hollywood apartment. When asked about how the surprise home makeover had impacted her life Welline Rose Lubin stated, "It can't get any better than this. It's great!"

On Saturday, Dwyane surprised 10 Miami families with a $1,000 shopping spree at Target. For the 5th Year Wade’s World Foundation partnered with Neighbors for Neighbors and local Miami churches to select well deserving families that were in need this holiday season.

The Caneus family was among one of the ten families selected, Mr. and Mrs. Caneus and their four children ages 8, 6, 4, and 9 months, lived in Haiti during the devastating earthquake in 2010. When Mrs. Caneus arrived at Target Saturday morning, December 22, she was unsure of what to expect and was anxious to learn just what her "holiday gift basket" would consist of. Before the surprise was revealed Mrs. Caneus stated that she and her family would be pleased with anything that was offered. Overwhelmed with joy the Caneus family was speechless when they met the NBA All-Star Champion and learned of the $1,000 shopping spree, which they used to purchase food, clothing and other household items.

To conclude the holiday festivities, Dwyane decided to do things a little different this year and keep things "within the family". In an effort to promote and strengthen relationships between fathers and their children, he and the WWF team hosted an afternoon of food, fun and games for 200 children and fathers at South Florida's Santa's Enchanted Forest. Dwyane also presented each father with an autographed copy of his New York Times best seller, A Father First: How My Life Became Bigger Than Basketball. Each child received a Target gift card to purchase a Christmas gift of their liking.

The participants in this event were identified by the following local organizations that promote mentorship and/or fatherhood initiatives: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Miami, Girl Power, Fatherz in the Hood, Save Our Sons, South Florida Care Mentoring Initiative and Family Counseling Services of Greater Miami.