Dueling Dragons Travel to Philadelphia!
Thanks to the generosity of our wonderful community donors, 51 Dueling Dragons of Orlando team members traveled to Philadelphia on June 3-5, 2022, for our annual “big trip” after a two-year hiatus due to Covid. Our teams of “cops and kids” competed in the Independence Dragon Boat Regatta and also enjoyed valuable bonding/mentoring time as they explored the “City of Brotherly Love” together. Here are a few highlights:
Thank you to Hyatt Hotel for helping us kick off our travels bright and early Friday morning, supplying the team with freshly baked BIG cookies before we boarded the plane.
In addition, Orlando Police Department Deputy Chief (and soon to be Chief of Police) Eric Smith met us at the airport at 5 am to wish us well and remind us that he was proud of our Dueling Dragons team for representing Orlando in Philadelphia.
After arriving in Philly, the team enjoyed a docent-led tour of historical sites, including Betsy Ross’ house, the Liberty Bell, Benjamin Franklin’s statue, and the African American Museum in Philadelphia where we participated in a two-hour interactive music lesson and learned all about the music of the American slaves and how it evolved into gospel, blues and jazz. From there, the team toured the University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University before heading to dinner and an evening of fun that included bowling, ping pong and pool.
On Saturday, the team arrived at the boat house ready to race and were greeted by some of the Philadelphia teams who welcomed us with traditional Philly treats, including pretzels, cheesesteaks, and “water ice,” along with lots of love. One of our teams medaled at the festival, and the other won the consolation race.
Sunday was the highlight of the trip for many with a visit to the famous Rocky Statue and Steps at the Philadelphia Museum of Art followed by a tour of Temple University before we boarded the plane back to Orlando.
Check out this great video recap of our Philly trip: https://vimeo.com/727987328/7fb98428f8
Making Memories & Building Bonds
While the “big trip” is Dueling Dragons’ greatest annual expense with a price tag of $74,000 this year, the memories made and bonds built between our law enforcement officers and inner-city youth are priceless. Nine of our kids had never been on an airplane or traveled outside of Orlando. Many have shared with us what the trip meant to them:
“It had everything you could possibly want in a trip. I am thankful for this experience I may not have had if it weren’t for this program.” — Rashad
“The trip was only 3 days, but I learned so much in that short amount of time. I’m so grateful that I was given this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” — Christian
“I really enjoyed going to Philadelphia with my Dueling Dragons team. I especially enjoyed the college tours because I plan to attend college one day.” — Timothee
“The trip was amazing, and I was filled with knowledge. During the race, I felt really happy just to be there and to have the opportunity to work with a team and feeling like I can make a difference.” — Aslid
“I really want to thank the members of the Dueling Dragons organization for allowing us to take this memorable trip. It was a great experience!” — Willie
“The trip was a great way to get to know my teammates and form better relationships with them. My favorite part was the dinner on the last night where we all got to share with one another different aspects of our lives.” — Cady
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