Hoops 4 Hope

Soccer 4 Hope Donations

molly — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 20:00:11 +0000

Soccer 4 Hope would like to sincerely thank Tim Pezaro and the community youth soccer club VUFC from Vancouver, Canada for the recent donation of uniforms jerseys. We would also like to thank to Right to Play for the initial connection! Seen in yellow are the Wolves United Boys Team!

H4H Does Broadway!

molly — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 19:11:57 +0000

On Tuesday, April 24th, Team Hoops 4 Hope and many of its NYC based champions spent the evening on Broadway! After a compelling production of Magic Bird, we were treated to a powerful talk-back session with cast and crew, allowing the audience to get up close and personal with the actors.

East Hampton High Bonac ballers Thomas King and Thomas Nelson, his dad LC, and Howard Wood were just some of the guests of the evening. Thanks to all of our local Board Members, champions young and old, and new H4H supporters for attending and making this a successful spring fundraiser!

1 Dream Foundation to Cape Town

molly — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 19:23:34 +0000

The 2012 One Dream Foundation trip to Cape Town 2012

April 12^th, Crossroad Cape Town,

Crossroad Multipurpose Center- Again this year, the Hoops 4 Hope program was thrilled and excited to host the One Dream Foundation USA Team, including Tom Mott, organizational Director. The One Dream Foundation traveled to Cape Town for another eventful program filled with shared skills and motivation. Remarkably, this is their fourth consecutive year.

This year the One Dream Foundation group consisted of 26 dedicated coaches. They spent valuable time conducting advanced coaching clinics for beginners and advanced South African youth players. The group of players came from the nearby Nyanga Township and Crossroad.

Among the coaches, we watched NCAA class of 2013 top USA recruit Alyson Bebee. Alyson was recruited by the Stanford University Women’s Basketball Team. Naturally, the youth automatically gravitated around Alyson and her ability to coach. Equally, the youth were thrilled to rotate through skills development stations. The day program ended with a very exciting and competitive game, consisting of two local teams coached by very competitive international coaches.

H4H Reflects on Francisca’s Journey

molly — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 19:36:08 +0000

Written by Ngoni Mukukula

This Exchange Visitor almost never made it to the USA. . .

When Mark Crandall met Michael Brookes, a Public Diplomacy Officer in the Embassy of the United States in Harare, at a Summit in South Africa in December of 2011, little did they know their meeting would positively impact on the life of Francisca Sekete, a poor girl from an unknown and underprivileged community of Dzivarasekwa in Harare, Zimbabwe.

Inside a month after their meeting, Michael invited our Harare office for a meeting to ascertain areas of possible cooperation between the Embassy and Hoops 4 Hope Operations in Zimbabwe. Yoni Marmostein and myself put together a 7 minute presentation. At the time of the meeting it appeared to me that Mark had done a great job selling Hoops 4 Hope to Michael. A lot of issues were discussed including the possibility of sending a girl from Zimbabwe to the USA as an Exchange Visitor. That idea sounded so remote to me but I followed up on it two weeks after our meeting.

We short listed 4 girls, and in the end Francisca, who won the once- in -a -life -time -chance to travel the USA – her dream country. The teenager was over joyed. I helped her to apply for her Visa and she booked for her appointment. The day for the interview came and I found myself at the USA Embassy on the day of her appointment with the Consular. I wished her well as she joined others going inside. Before I could leave she came back quickly and said, ‘ I forgot my passport at home’. I was a little upset with her but then I thought it was not the time for that. She made a phone call to her parents and they started looking for her passport back home. An hour passed and the call to say we found it did not come. Before we knew it, the business day came to an end and her parents had turned their place upside down, her passport was nowhere to be found.

In the next 72 hours Francisca went from being the happiest girl in Zimbabwe to the most miserable one. She went from hero to zero. In her ordeal she hardly ate anything, she had very little time to sleep and cried a river. Her passport was nowhere to be found and as the days went by, it became apparent that she had lost her passport. Francisca tells me that she got a lot of courage from Michael Brookes each day he called her and assured her that as long as she had a passport she would make the trip.

Meanwhile the days kept counting down and now it was a week before the once in a life time trip. The only option that was left was to get a new document. It was still possible since an emergency one takes 24 hours. The biggest challenge was that Francisca lives with her widowed mum and money was going to be an issue. An emergency document is quite expensive in Zimbabwe. I sent an SOS to friends of Hoops 4 Hope. By the end of the day a great ‘Samaritan’, an angel donor, said she was going to help Francisca. Francisca’s mum cried tears of joy.

Francisca wrote, ‘ I felt alive again. I felt the biggest happiness of my life. I would love to meet (the angel) and express my gratitude to her. I really appreciate everything she did for me.’

Francisca applied for her passport and got a new document. A Visa was issued and Francisca made the trip the USA as an Exchange Visitor. During the trip she met with Hillary Clinton, the USA Secretary of State, and went to Denver to watch the Final Four NCAA Women’s Championships.

Francisca is also grateful to the Sports United Program. She said, ‘they taught us a lot of things, some of which I want to share with my community now that i am back.’ In the USA Francisca became friends with Zola Crandall and she says she felt so loved and special to have them (Zola and her Dad Mark) welcome her in the USA. She tells me, ‘Coach Mark has a big and loving heart. Everything was a blessing from God.’

Francisca is back home and it is great to see how the trip has impacted her. She is happy and laughs and talks a lot.

Update from Crossroads!

molly — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 12:08:06 +0000

The Crossroads Center has kids every day for homework club, leadership, and hoops. All Star LaLa is back and Mahlube is now the Crossroads Center All Star, thanks to the Stephen Silverman Memorial Fund! These community All Star Managers have plenty to do!

Lavuka Tennis and H4H

molly — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 11:49:45 +0000

Luvaka Tennis program founder Mandy Sikawuti received donated racquets from H4H US and Sportime NY, while a Facebook SOS for tennis balls was heard by champion Lucinda Gibbs in Cape Town. The new equipment helped get this Gugulethu based tennis club get back onto the courts!

Hoops/ Soccer 4 Hope Service Trip to Cape Town, South Africa

molly — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 16:24:01 +0000

Written by Madi Bartlett

This trip was truly one of the most memorable experiences of my life and I’m sure many, if not all, of the other students who participated would agree.

The days in which we did volunteer work at the townships were unforgettable besides playing both basketball and soccer we were able to get to know the coaches in charge of the program and the children involved, making new friendships and learning so much more about the situation many of the children were in and why we should so desperately help. On these days we were split into two groups; basketball and soccer. Each group would work on drills throughout the morning developing new skills and improving the old. These skills would then be put into game situations with friendly matches and mini-tournaments at the end of the day.

Through sports, the program is able to provide children with a fun environment where they can develop social skills and other such life skills that are essential to modern day living. Besides promoting healthy competition, the program helps to keep children off the streets and educate them on the dangers of violence and HIV/AIDS; a disease which effected many of the children’s parents and families. It was great to see such a positive program in action.

Besides helping the children in the town ships we were able to tour the magnificent wonder s that Cape Town had to offer whilst immersing ourselves into the interesting and vibrant culture of the people to which Cape Town was home.

During our stay we visited the Aquila game reserve were many of us were able to touch a Leopard that was rescued from wildlife dealers, which gave us another perspective on other issues facing South Africa today. We were also able to visit Table Mountain, Lions Head, Boulders – penguin colony, Robben Island, the waterfront and the Craft Market, all of which were amazing in themselves.

On one of the days we were fortunate enough to watch a live football match, Vuvuzela’s and all, between two professional South African teams, the Moroka Swallows and Ajax Cape Town, in the Cape Town world cup stadium which for me was one highlight of the trip.

On Behalf of all the students on the trip, I would like to thank Mr. Baseden for organizing such an amazing trip, it was truly unforgettable. I would also like to thank Coach Kaisin and coach Gomez, for accompanying us on the trip and making it so much more entertaining.

Finally, I would like to thank the coaches and organizers of the program for all their amazing work, for welcoming us into the centers and for allowing us to participate in the program.

ISB Returns to Cape Town!

molly — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 19:41:34 +0000

INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF BELGIUM (ISB) – HOOPS 4 HOPE SOUTH AFRICAN TOUR 2012
April 12th, Cape Town

ISB Athletic Director Jason Baseden’s dream was always to create a platform for ISB youth and Hoops 4 Hope youth together. He was also excited about the opportunity where their soccer coaches would finally meet. With his team of sixteen ISB students ready for action, this group did not waist time! They started their first day with a mountain hike, filled with enthusiasm, and together with their coaches they delivered basketball and soccer coaching clinic for players in the township community of Philipi. Further soccer and basketball coaching clinics for girl and boys soccer took place at the MPC Crossraod Center in Crossroads.
The final day saw a thrilling game between the ISB mixed team and the Hoops 4 Hope select township team. This final game was highly anticipated, as every seat in the indoor hall was filled with excited local fans who watched these teams exchange numerous scoring leads. Ultimately the local Hoops 4 Hope select team won the game, much to the delight of the local fans.

Outside of that, ISB spent a remarkable amount of time with Hoops 4 Hope coordinators and participating youth and the kids just loved this group. The ISB team also visited sights such as: Robin Island, Greenpoint Stadium, The Waterfront, Lions Head, Cape Point, and the Cape Of Good Hope.

Among the ISB students was 17 year old Madi Bartlett who, though born in Germany, is well rooted in South Africa. Madi’s parents, both South African, travel a lot for work purpose, thus have given Madi the opportunity to travel all over the world. She has enjoyed learning and experiencing different cultures and has travelled and lived in: Germany, Vietnam, Johannesburg and Belgium. Yet she had never been to Cape Town before.

Madi is currently enjoying her academic year with ISB (International School of Belgium) and is in 11th grade. The trip to Cape Town with her school, and the basketball and soccer exchange program with Hoops 4 Hope in Cross Roads Nyanga during the month of April was thoroughly enjoyable! Her experience with Hoops 4 Hope was so much fun. Pleasantly, Madi felt more at home in South Africa than anywhere else. She is not sure whether she will be able to graduate with her ISB friends in Belgium, because her family might relocate again, but she is definitely considering attending university in Cape Town, at UCT. Madi’s first visit in the mother city (Cape Town), was a memorable one, and hopefully not her last one!

Global Friends Unite!

molly — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 11:49:55 +0000

H4H proudly welcomed Francisca from Zimbabwe on a US State Dept. dream hoop trip! H4H USA rep Zola and her dad went to meet her at an NBA game, Wizards vs. Detroit. Nice win by one point in the last second Coach Frank, and thanks again for the tickets!

Here, young women leaders, who are also hoops players from six countries around the planet, were brought to DC where they met Hilary Clinton, and were then off to Final Four in Denver!

These are future presidents in the making!
Thanks to the US Embassy Harare, US State Dept. NBA, WNBA, NCAA, and H4H Zimbabwe for this amazing opportunity for Francisca.

Annual Easter Tourney

molly — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 19:46:58 +0000

Written by CAROLINE AND JUNIOR NGANDU

Crossroads, Cape Town, 7th of April

Six local teams gathered together at the City of Cape Town and Hoops 4 Hope Center in Crossroads for the Annual Easter Basketball Tournament this year. Despite the heavy down pour, there was a good turnout. Local teams participating in the tournament included: Shaq Squad, Khalca Knights, CNP Thunder, Future Stars, Gugulethu Hustlers and the guest team, The International School of Belgium (ISB). The spectators was made up of kids of all ages from the neighborhood. A few played amongst themselves, whilst the bulk simply focused on the games.
What a day it was! Every team played their hardest, they competed to win and in the end the last two finalist teams standing were the Future Stars and Shaq Squad. The game was neck and neck, as these teams exchanged the lead on numerous occasions, and just when it seemed like Future Stars was going to win the game, Shaq Squad had a comeback and won the game.

It was an awesome final game and a great victory for Shaq Squad. However, Future Stars played hard throughout the tournament and won by a margin of most scored the points, thus winning the tournament and taking the tournament trophy home.