From urban playgrounds in Washington, DC to the rural basketball courts of Kansas, basketball is a loved game. Basketball helps break down racial and economic boundaries by bringing young kids together on a neutral court, where dedication and teamwork are the qualities that make one excel--not social standing or group affiliation.

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Basketball’s secret weapon is the coach. A good coach is much more than a teacher: They are a mentor, a role model, a person who cares and who can give the kids the support they need to build life skills and court skills. The trust that can develop between a coach and a young person can be the bedrock for significant personal growth. For many kids, the basketball court is the perfect place to cultivate the discipline that will help them achieve success in other parts of their lives.  Our dedicated volunteers are the coaches who help these kids develop into role models in their communities.

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Basketball is our essential vehicle for getting kids off the streets, onto our courts and into the programs our charitable partners support.  Our volunteers and sponsored charities are the key to teaching both basketball and life skills. Making lay-ups and jump shots are the easy part, but affecting the behavior of kids is the difficult part, but for all of us, worth the effort.

Our efforts utilize the influence of role models in the community kids can relate to. This relationship is critical to teaching life skills. The educational role our efforts play is proactive rather than reactive, meaning that they bring respect, fun and sport into the lives of kids who often times come from broken homes and neighborhoods with high crime rates. In some cases, our efforts and those of our supported charities provide these kids with the last chance to succeed.