Charlie's Angels Meet and Greet Program Returns for 2012-2013 Season!
The Charlie’s Angels Meet and Greet Program is back for the 2012-2013 season!
This Meet and Greet program has been extremely successful since it started in 2005. National Basketball Association (NBA) Player, Charlie Villanueva, has been participating in Meet & Greets with the NAAF community members at various arenas around the country before his games. Charlie’s Angels interactions usually involve conversations, pictures, hugs, and autographs. In fact, the success of the program was the primary reason for Charlie winning the NBA’s Community Assist Award in February of 2006.
Our schedule for this year is not complete, but we have a good start to the offerings. We are still finalizing all the dates, cities, ticket details and team captains for this season. So please check back often as more dates will be added and/or changes could occur.
For more information on how to participate in your area, please contact the Team Captain listed below.
Team Captains are still to be determined (TBA) for the games indicated below. If you are interested in being a team captain, please contact Gary Sherwood via email asap, and he can give you more details of what that entails.
2012-2013 Schedule
Charlie’s Angels On the Road Meet & Greet Program
At the age of 13, Charlie Villanueva was diagnosed with alopecia areata, an autoimmune skin disease which results in the loss of hair on the scalp and elsewhere on the body. Charlie has the rarest and most extreme form of the autoimmune disease, alopecia universalis, resulting in lack of hair on his entire body, including the protective hairs found on the eyebrow, the eyelashes, and allergen protectors such as nose and ear hair. Though alopecia areata is not life threatening, it can have psychological implications resulting in low self-esteem, feelings of isolation, and depression. Alopecia areata can become present at any age, though children are affected most often. The opportunity to have a role model for the children and adults affected by this disease can be life altering.
The National Alopecia Areata Foundation, the National Basketball Association and the Toronto Raptors joined forces shortly after Charlie Villanueva was drafted in 2005. Sharing the fundamental goals of providing awareness of the Toronto Raptors, supporting Charlie Villanueva and supporting the millions of individuals in the United States and Canada with alopecia areata, the Charlie’s Angels Awareness Campaign was conceived. This program had the mission of raising awareness of alopecia areata and raising awareness of the Toronto Raptors and NBA community by offering emotional support to children with alopecia areata. The activities to support this mission included inviting children meeting with Charlie Villanueva courtside prior to away games and preparing media materials for each of the meet & greets.
Charlie Villanueva
Working in collaboration, the National Alopecia Areata Foundation (NAAF), the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association (AARDA), and the Detroit Pistons have created 2 video PSAs featuring NAAF Spokesperson and Detroit Piston Charlie Villanueva and his teammate Austin Daye. Please take a look! One spotlights autoimmune diseases in general, while one highlights the autoimmune disease alopecia areata.
