Donations of TV, cable bring big game to Durham Rescue Mission

From staff reports

The Herald-Sun
Monday, February 07, 2005
Final Edition
Durham Section
Page B1

There was no eyestrain on the part of dozens of people who watched the Super Bowl Sunday night at the Durham Rescue Mission on East Main Street.

They saw the Eagles and Patriots square off on the finest television set the Mission has ever had: a big-screen, high-definition behemoth donated last week by Fox 50.

"To describe it as nice would be an understatement," said Ernie Mills, chief executive officer of the Mission.

Mills said he wasn't sure if the set had a 51-inch screen or a 61-inch one. He just knew it was huge, roughly doubling the viewing area of the next largest set at his facility.

To sweeten the deal, Time Warner donated a one-year cable subscription to the Mission, according to Mills.

"Everyone here is so excited about it," he said. "They've never seen anything like this. I haven't either. I only have a 27-inch TV at my house and don't even have digital cable yet. We've never had anybody donate a brand new TV to us before. All the other ones were used."

The Super Bowl extravaganza at the Rescue Mission included pizza, potato chips and soft drinks. Half-time door prizes included two Patriots ballcaps and two caps with Eagles insignia, along with T-shirts bearing logos of the two teams. Footballs signed by the coaches of Duke, UNC and N.C. Central University also were up for grabs.

"Oh boy, it's really something," Kenneth Shepard said of the new TV.

Shepard is 48 and has lived at the Rescue Mission since March 2004. "I mean it is really, really something," he repeated. "It's real impressive. I never had a TV like that of my own. I wish I could." Shepard was rooting for the Patriots.

Sylvester Dixon Jr., 58, a nine-month resident of the Mission, agreed that the new television set was outstanding.

"I think it's wonderful," he said. "The picture is beautiful. It looks like you're right there at the game itself. You feel like you're in the stadium. It's great."

Like Shepard, Dixon was cheering for the Patriots. "I think they're a better team than Philadelphia this year," he told The Herald-Sun. "I think they have the edge."

But 52-year-old Gregory Southerland, a native of Philadelphia, didn't want to hear any of that.

"I've got to go with the Eagles," he proclaimed proudly.

A resident of the Rescue Mission since April 2004, Southerland also was enthusiastic about the new TV.

"I'm really excited about this TV and the Super Bowl party we are having," he said. "It's great. It's a real fancy TV. State of the art. I could even say it's fantastic. You couldn't ask for anything more. My eyes ain't hurting to look at it."