“Nearly 400 kids are here. Their ages range from 6 to 17, but they all have a commonality – they are foster children living in group homes, there to enjoy a Thanksgiving meal on this Monday night because they likely would not otherwise.”

“Michael Bankston is there too. Bankston works at Canyon State Academy, a school in Queen Creek with a mission to help at-risk children develop into productive adults. Bankston even knows some of these kids. But he is here because he once played for the Cardinals, and beyond the music and the food and the raffle prizes, it is the presence of Bankston and his fellow Cardinals alumni – along with some cheerleaders and the mascot, Big Red – that draw the most attention.”