Caron Butler to Speak at Chamber Breakfast

From the Middlesex Chamber of CommerceNBA All-Star and former UConn standout Caron Butler will be welcomed as a guest speaker and Role Model Award honoree when the Chamber holds its monthly member breakfast meeting on Monday, July 20, from 7:45 a.m. to 9 a.m. at the Crowne Plaza Hotel Cromwell.

Butler joins the list of other recipients of this award such as former UConn standout and NBA player Kevin Ollie, former Houston Astro Jeff Bagwell, former Philadelphia Philly Rico Brogna, former NFL players Chris Hetherington and Joe Andruzzi, former MLB player Ricky Bottalico, former LPGA Pro Suzy Whaley, New England Patriots Vice President of Player Personnel Scott Pioli, former WNBA great Rebecca Lobo, Red Sox President and CEO Larry Lucchino, and NBA World Champion Ray Allen. The breakfast is sponsored by Citizen’s Bank.

About Caron Butler:

Professionally: Is a two-time NBA All-Star (2007, 2008)…Was the only NBA player to average at least 20 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals per game in 2007-08,and became the first player to do so since LeBron James and Larry Hughes in 2004-05…Joined Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Vince Carter as the only four players to average 20+ points, 6+ rebounds and 4+ assists per game in 2007-08…Recorded his first three career triple-doubles in 2007-08…Scored a career-high 40 points in a career-high 50:39 minutes at MIL (1/27/08)…Was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week for the week of 1/15/07 – 1/21/07…Combined with Gilbert Arenas and Antawn Jamison to form the highest-scoring teammate trio in the NBA (67.4 points per game) in 2005-06…Named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 2002-03.

Personally: Full name is James Caron Butler…Lists his mother Mattie Paden as the person he most admires and a person who made a difference in his life, raising him as a single mother…Married Andrea Pink in August, 2005…Has two daughters, Mia Caron and Camary, and a son, Caron Jr…Served as team co-captain with Antawn Jamison in 2007-08…Traveled to Johannesburg, South Africa, in September 2008 as part of the NBA’s Basketball Without Borders delegation to conduct clinics, visit schools and speak to youth…Hosts Caron Butler’s Summer Homecoming in his hometown of Racine, Wisconsin, every summer, consisting of several charity events focused on the youth in the community…The City of Racine proclaimed June 8, 2007, Caron Butler Day at City Hall…Through his Caron’s Coats for Kids program, distributes coats, hats and gloves to youth in Racine as well as in Washington DC…Through his “Bike Brigade” program has teamed up with The Salvation Army and Wal-Mart to distribute 800 brand new bikes and helmets to youth in Washington DC and Racine since 2005…Also sponsors the “Cops n Kids” Legacy Project in Racine to continue the betterment of the Racine community…Was selected to receive the 2008 “Good Brother Award” by the National Congress of Black Women, a group of 20,000 members nationwide…Was awarded the NBA’s Community Assist Award for June 2007, in recognition of his efforts in the community and for his ongoing philanthropic work…Hosts two summer basketball camps in the DC metro area, one in Chantilly, VA, and one in Forestville, MD…With teammate Andray Blatche, visited with injured soldiers and their families at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington DC in September 2007…Threw out the ceremonial first pitch at a Washington Nationals game in June 2007…Along with his wife Andrea, was chosen as a 2007 recipient of the Conversation Changers award on behalf of the DC Campaign to prevent teenage pregnancy…Joined DC Tobacco Free Families to help launch the Quit Smoking Campaign at Freedom Plaza in Washington DC in June 2007, and teamed with Facundo Erpen of D.C. United and members of the DC City Council to announce a landmark $10 million dollar tobacco prevention and cessation campaign…Recognized by The Sporting News as one of the top “Good Guys” in sports in 2006 for his charitable endeavors…Was tabbed as a Special Deputy by the Philadelphia Sheriff’s Department in March 2006…Helped organize “Urban Dialogue: Stop The Violence — A Community Outreach Event” in Racine in August 2005…Was a guest on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” in September 2005 in a show titled “How My Worst Moment Made Me a Star”…Visited incarcerated youth at Oak Hill Youth Detention Center to offer support and share his life story…Would like to open a group home and run it when he is done with his playing career…Teamed with NFL Hall of Famer Marcus Allen, as well as NFL players Michael Strahan, Kevin Faulk and Donnie Edwards among other investors to start Ramsell Dining LLC, which purchased 18 Burger King franchises in Norfolk, VA, and Richmond, VA…Was a communications major at Connecticut…Played two seasons at UConn before becoming an early entry candidate for the NBA Draft…Earned Honorable Mention All-America honors from the Associated Press as a sophomore in 2001-02…Had his uniform number (54) retired at Racine Park High School during All-Star Weekend in February 2006…Also had his number (25) retired at Maine Central Institute in Pittsfield, Maine in 2002…Was inducted into the New England Sports Hall of Fame in September 2003…Splits time between Fairfax, VA, and Racine, WI.

Biography courtesy of the Washington Wizards.

The breakfast will be held from 7:45 a.m. to 9 a.m. Cost is $18 for Chamber members and $28 for non-members. The breakfast will be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel Cromwell. For more information, or to make your reservation, please contact the Chamber at 347-6924. The Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce has over 2,350 members who employ more than 50,000 people.