Wings' Bowey and Perlini join Tigers' Goodrum and Demeritte for BGCSM

There aren't many places that people can go in person these days as everyone is trying to stay home as much as possible to prevent further spread of the novel coronavirus.
But the place to be Thursday afternoon was on a one-of-a-kind Zoom party to benefit the Boys and Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the BGCSM has been holding a virtual club with daily programming and mental health breaks for kids aged 8-18.
Because all of the Boys and Girls Clubs have been closed and they were forced to cancel fundraising events, the BGCSM is facing a $2 million funding gap.
To help close that gap, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan held a celebrity takeover of their virtual club Thursday.
Detroit Red Wings Madison Bowey and Brendan Perlini and Detroit Tigers Niko Goodrum and Travis Demeritte joined with their fellow Detroit sports stars from the Pistons, Langston Galloway and Bad Boy Rick Mahorn, and the Lions, Trey Flowers and Da'Shawn Hand.
They were part of a Who's Who of celebrities including Detroit rapper and philanthropist Big Sean, Detroit native and Hall of Famer Jerome Bettis, rapper Ludacris, actor Hill Harper, Michigan Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist, radio personalities Mojo and Spike from Channel 95.5, Bill McAllister from 106.7 WLLZ and Dr. Darrius from 97.9 WJLB.
After the Detroit Pistons dancers taught viewers a new dance for Tik Tok, which also featured Tigers mascot Paws, Pistons mascot Hooper and Lions mascot Roary, they held their first competition.

There were two teams, the 313 All-Stars and the Motor City Crew, with each team representing a group of clubs in the BGCSM.
The winner after all the games would receive a pizza party at their club and a movie screening at Emagine once things reopen.
Bad Celebrity Jokes had two kids from the Boys and Girls Clubs tell jokes in an attempt to get Harper, Bettis, Gilchrist and McAllister to laugh.
Only McAllister cracked under the pressure.
The next game involved Goodrum, Demeritte and Mojo, representing the 313 All-Stars, facing off against Flowers, Hand and Spike, representing the Motor City Crew.
Playing Family Feud, the two teams played four rounds, answering questions that were posed to Boys and Girls Clubs members: favorite ice cream topping, chores you hate to do, what you like to eat with a hamburger and favorite snack at the movies.
After a good early showing, Goodrum, Demeritte and Mojo saw the Lions and Spike steal round one by correctly naming whipped cream as the final favorite ice cream topping.
Flowers, Hand and Spike ran the table in the second round, listing off all five hated chores of washing the dishes, vacuuming, sweeping, taking out the trash and dusting.
Flowers had a chance to steal the third round but baked beans was not among the top things to eat with a hamburger so the 313 All-Stars got the points.
But in the final round, Flowers, Hand and Spike ran the table again and won the game for the Motor City Crew, naming popcorn, nachos, candy, pretzels and slushy drinks as the favorite snacks at the movies.
After that game, Big Sean welcomed special guest Ludacris.
Although he is based in Atlanta, Ludacris, whose given name is Chris Bridges, had a warm message for the metro Detroit kids.

"Of all the places I've been, not just in America but all over the world, Detroit is one of the most resilient places I've ever been," Ludacris said. "I just want to remind you how strong each and every one of you are."
Big Sean then hosted the 16 Bar Challenge for local Detroit rappers, with Jarvis-LaRue Brown winning the opportunity to win a 30-minute A&R consultation with Omar Grant, co-president of Roc Nation.

"I deeply appreciate everyone that participated in the Virtual Takeover to support and uplift the kids and families in our community," Big Sean said in a statement. "It was a fun-filled event and I am happy to have been able to be a part of it. Blessings to you all."
Then it was time for Celebrity Shazam with Bowey and Perlini of the Wings, representing the 313 All-Stars, facing off against Galloway and Mahorn of the Pistons, representing the Motor City Crew.
Bowey and Perlini made a formidable duo, earning victory for the 313 All-Stars.
First Perlini guessed Ciara's "1, 2 Step" right out of the gate.
Bowey followed with Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" and Flo Rida's "My House," giving his team a 3-0 lead.
Perlini then got the Run DMC-Aerosmith collaboration of "Walk This Way."
Everyone guessed Destiny's Child but couldn't name the song, "Independent Women."
Bowey, Perlini and Galloway were far too young to get Tag Team's 1993 hit, "Whoomp! (There It Is) and Mahorn was having microphone difficulties so no point on that one.
Perlini was fast to name TLC's "No Scrubs."
Galloway finally got his team on the board with Nelly's "Air Force Ones."
But Bowey finished up the dominating win by correctly getting Chris Brown's "Run It."
The first-time event was a rousing success, raising more than $320,000 for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan.
Tweet from @bgcsem: Thanks to you, we were able to provide additional support to the COVID-19 relief fund and create priceless moments for members of our @bgcsem family. Today was an awesome reminder of how we are truly #BetterTogether. We appreciate you! 🤗 pic.twitter.com/CIbtxp5CHm
"Boys and Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan is overwhelmed by the support we received from the community. Today was something our youth and families will never forget," BGCSM president and CEO Shawn H. Wilson said in a statement. "These are truly unprecedented times, but I know we can get through them if we come together and lift each other up, like we did today."