Two months of grief transformed into a night of joy for the family of Lt. Marques Hudson, a Plainfield, NJ, firefighter who died in the line of duty on Jan. 26. Thanks to the generosity of a former first responder, Hudson's three sons and their mothers were treated to a VIP experience at the Orlando Magic game last Wednesday night.
"The look of wonder and excitement in their faces is, you know, there's no words to express the joy that it brings me," said Spero Georgedakis, founder and CEO of Good Greek Moving & Storage. A tri-state (New York, New Jersey and Connecticut) native himself and a former police officer, Georgedakis understands the sacrifices first responders make. Having lost friends in the line of duty, he has a deep respect for them. "It's a special moment," he said.
The Hudson boys, Isaiah, 6, Josaiah, 11, and Kaleb, 14, were given the royal treatment. Flown down by Good Greek and put up in a hotel, they enjoyed the game from a private suite alongside their mothers, D'Onnah Jones, mother to Isaiah, and Brittany Peña-Quijada, mother of Josiah and Kaleb.
"Marques would love this very much," Peña-Quijada said. "He would love that we did it all together." Jones agreed, adding, "It would have meant a lot to him."
More than just basketball, the evening offered a chance for connection. The family met Magic point guard Cole Anthony and NBA legend Bo Outlaw before the game.
With their father gone, the brothers don’t see each other as often as before, so these moments together in such a stimulating environment, filled with the roar of the crowd and the bright lights of the arena, were extremely precious. This was particularly true for the two older boys, Josaiah and Kaleb, who are both diagnosed with autism. Kaleb is also blind.
With sports being a constant source of joy for the Hudsons, whether it was cheering on their favorite teams or playing a game themselves, they were a match for Good Greek. Along with partnerships with organizations that support police and first responders, Good Greek is also partnered with 17 collegiate and professional sports teams and venues including the Magic. It was through these relationships that Good Greek was able to create a truly special experience for the Hudson family.
“To know Marques is to know that he was really into sports," Jones said. "He grew up playing sports — He coached his son in t-ball,” she added. “So to know that Spero reached out to us and to basically watch the Magic and do something sports related, we really love that way he did that for us.“
The Good Greek is no stranger to paying it forward when it comes to first responders. Just recently he assisted the mother and sister of an officer who died in the line of duty more than 10 years ago. They had fallen on hard times and needed assistance moving into another home. Spero and Good Greek moved them in free of charge.
