CLEVELAND — In 2023, more than a thousand children were reported missing in Cleveland. While most were found safe, some still haven't been found and that's why the Cleveland Vipers hosted a charity event to help families find missing kids across the state.

What You Need To Know

  • Danny Dakdouk has been playing basketball for 14 years and now plays for the Cleveland Vipers

  • Daniels-Wilder said cases of missing people often fade from the headlines and he hopes the event will bring these cases new attention

  • The Cleveland Vipers put on a charity event for the Cleveland Family Center for Missing Children and Adults

Danny Dakdouk has been playing basketball for about 14 years.

“I fell in love with the game back in 2010 when Kobe Bryant won his fifth ring,” Dakdouk said.

Dadouk plays for the Cleveland Vipers, and the team is using their first game of the season to raise awareness about a bigger cause.

“It’s a charity event so we want to raise money and get as many people as we can there,” Dakdouk said.

The Cleveland Vipers held a fundraiser for the Cleveland Family Center for Missing Children and Adults.

Noah Daniels-Wilder is the owner of the team and, as a father, he said this is something he wanted to help plan for a while.

“I would go crazy if I lost my children, right? If my children ended up missing and nobody is talking about it or nobody is really bringing any light to it or bring a little bit of light then it’s gone, right? So what we want to do is help economically,” he said.

Sylvia Colon is the co-founder of the Cleveland Family Center for Missing Children and Adults. She co-founded the organization with her cousin, Gina De Jesus, who was kidnapped and held captive for almost a decade before she and two other women were rescued from a Cleveland home.

“About five years ago, Gina and I thought we really needed to do something to support the families of the missing. I’m just forever grateful anytime we get an invitation to come out and do what we do,” she said.

Daniels-Wilder said cases of missing people often fade from the headlines and he hopes the event will bring attention to children who are still missing in the Cleveland area.

“To not only pursue their dreams, but to help the community out and to help families who are grieving out. I mean, there is nothing else you can do. It’s at my core, it’s at our core as the Cleveland Vipers. That’s what we want to do,” he said.

As for Dakdouk, he said he knows regardless of the game’s outcome, this one was bigger than basketball.

“When you play for something more than basketball, it definitely heightens the motivation and you will be playing harder,” he said.