Vernon Carey and teammates handed off turkeys to students

Hundreds of anxious students gathered outside Miami Northwestern High School's auditorium on Monday afternoon to get free turkeys for Thanksgiving in return for excellent attendance. While they waited out front, members of the Miami Dolphins, led by right tackle Vernon Carey, slipped in the back to sort, bag and deliver turkeys to students.

``You come here; I want to show you some Thanksgiving love,'' said Essie Bailey, of Liberty City, who squeezed the six-foot-five, 340-pound Carey with everything she had. ``That's what I'm talking about.''

Carey, 28, who led the Northwestern football team to a state title in 1998, returned to his alma mater for the Fifth Annual Vernon Carey Thanksgiving Turkey Drive.

``This is my home and these are the people I care for with all my heart,'' said Carey, who is quiet and reserved -- off the field.

What makes this year's turkey drive different from other years is that it focuses on giving students an incentive to attend class regularly. Northwestern is hard at work to shed its ``F'' rating.

The lesson: You can't learn anything if you don't come to class.

``The only way students could get a turkey this year is to have perfect attendance,'' said Assistant Principal Adalys Rodriguez, who verified students' eligibility at the front gate.

They also had to show initiative by attending a special academy on Saturdays to help improve their grades. Rodriguez said that the aim is an ``A'' for attendance.

Judging by the size of the line, attendance has been pretty good at Northwestern this year. The Dolphins' offensive line stood side by side and towered over the students as they greeted them with 1,200 turkeys and cans of cranberry sauce.

``This makes it all worth the effort,'' said Alvin Woodside, 17, a junior at Northwestern. Carey and his teammates took time to sign autographs, pose for photos and share stories and laughs with everyone in line.

``Vernon is well known in Miami's inner city for helping the poor, and he started the Vernon Carey Foundation in October to continue this mission,'' said Felix Williams, director of the foundation. One of his programs -- Carey's Crew -- gives 20 students from Brownsville Middle School the chance to attend home games at Land Shark Stadium, as Carey's special guests.

The good deeds he sows have not gone unnoticed. In 2008, Carey was a finalist for the 2008 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award.

``Vernon did this on his own and Publix delivered the turkeys and helped him coordinate it,'' said Bill Fauerbach, vice president of Publix, who arrived early, rolled up his sleeves and help preload the turkeys into bags.

Carey said he has a duty to make sure his old neighborhood is fed during Thanksgiving and looks to his favorite book for inspiration -- the Bible. To whom much is given, much is expected.



(miamiherald.com)