The Cabrini Men’s and Women’s basketball teams hosted the 10th annual “Hoops from the Heart” basketball clinic on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The clinic was held in the Dixon Center and boys and girls ranging from first grade through eighth grade were in attendance.
Proceeds from the clinic were donated to the Community Action Agency of Delaware County (CAADC). The CAADC’s mission is to assist families and individuals who are in need and help them move toward economic self-sufficiency. All the proceeds raised during the event, which include canned goods, will help fuel CAADC programs such as emergency housing, social services, employment training and life skills training.
One of the children’s mothers, Meg Searing, said the event was great, very organized and the children were learning skills.
“It gets them out and moving for a good cause,” Searing said.
“The clinic is to teach the local kids who don’t know how to play basketball,” Brittany Newcomer said.
In conjunction with four other participating schools, a total of $10,000 was raised. Cabrini contributed to $1,800 of the proceeds. Other area schools also participated in the event including Haverford College, Neumann University, Widener University and Springfield High School.
“The clinic has grown within the past couple years because it has expanded to a number of local schools and will continue to grow in the future,” Kate Pearson, women’s basketball head coach, said.
“Hoops from the Heart” not only benefits the local children who want to learn how to play basketball, but the Cabrini basketball teams get to experience helping their community.
“The clinic benefits the Cabrini players for a number of reasons,” Pearson said. “They participate in a day of service and so they learn the value in giving back to others.”
By working with the local youth, the Cabrini players learned how to teach kids about the sport that has provided them with so many opportunities.
“The children who attend the clinic learn how to play and see an example of the college players,” Rita McKeown, sophomore business administration major, said.
“The players really enjoy interacting with the kids and try to develop relationships so that the kids come to the games to support our teams,” Pearson said. “The goal is also for our players to understand the value of being a role model for the local community.”
The amount of attendees has increased over the past couple of years, as well as the benefits for the CAADC.
“The CAADC is a great agency which helps provide service for so many. We feel honored to be able to help,” Pearson said.
